


Snake

by Axelrocks



Series: Snake [1]
Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, Highschool AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-07
Updated: 2013-11-05
Packaged: 2017-12-04 14:46:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 44
Words: 97,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/711907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Axelrocks/pseuds/Axelrocks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Daryl and Carol in ceramics class and Carol needs a little help<br/>with her project.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Daryl!" Exasperated, she cried. "I need help!" All she wanted to do was throw the stubborn piece of clay to the ground. Maybe stomp on it a few times, for good measure. She wasn't cut out for this art stuff.

"What do you want?" He was suddenly beside her, his own hands covered in the gray clay.

"I'm trying to make a snake. See?" She lifted up her lopsided coil of clay and watched in dismay as half of it fell to the table with a 'plop'.

"Jesus, how did you manage to fuck up a snake? That's the easy damn thing to make!" He took the coil from her hands, smashed it into a ball, and began rolling it across the table evenly.

"Well, aren't you quite the artist, Michelangelo?"

He snorted at the name and continued working. "Why the-" he paused as their art teacher walked by, admiring other people's work. Once he passed, he continued. "Why the fuck you makin' a snake anyways? Ain't you terrified of 'em? Why not make a butterfly, or some girly shit like that?"

Nudging him in the side at his language. She didn't mind the way he talked, but the teacher was looking at them both suspiciously. The last thing she needed was Daryl to be sent to the principal's office, again, while she still needed help.

"There ya go." Looking down, she found that he had rolled out a perfectly even coil. "Do you want me to do the face, too?" He looked at her with a smirk.

"No." She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "I think I can manage."

"So, why a snake?" He took the seat on the stool next to her and watched as she tried to figure out which end to make the face.

"What?" She replied, without looking at him, and placed two perfect dots on one end, for the eyes. Straightening her back, she smiled, proud of herself. Now for the mouth...

"Why a snake? You hate them."

He was obviously not letting it go, so with a defeated sigh she told him.

"I was making it for you."

"Me?" He looked surprised. No one had made anything for him before. "But why a snake?"

"I don't know!" She cried, earning a few odd looks from the other students, but she ignored them. "You like to hunt and I figured you came across a snake or two." She turned her face away. "Plus a squirrel was too damn hard to make!"

He chuckled at her and it was so nice to hear him laugh. He didn't very often.

"Well then, ain't that the best damn snake I ever did see!" His blue eyes sparkled slightly as he looked at her and felt her cheeks begin to heat up.

"What are you making?" She wanted the attention off her.

Instantly his smile was gone, and the tips of his ears started to turn red.

"Nothin'." He muttered, not making eye contact with her.

"Come on" Bumping her leg against his, she tried to urge him to talk. "You got to see the disaster I was making!"

He turned his head away, probably so she wouldn't see his flaming cheeks, and said so low she almost couldn't hear. "A flower?"

"What?" She couldn't have heard him right. Daryl Dixon didn't do flowers, let alone make them out of clay.

"A flower." He growled, but she didn't find it menacing at all. She was use to it and he never spoke to her like that to be mean.

"What kind of flower?" She asked softly.

He still wasn't looking at her, clearly embarrassed by this conversation, but he still answered her. "Cherokee Rose."

"That sounds pretty. What does it look like?" Maybe she could find some the next time she went out in the woods with him.

"You'll see when I'm finished." The corner of his mouth turned up slightly. "Was makin' it for you."

"Really?" Her heart started to beat a little faster.

"Yup." He turned his body to face hers a little bit more and finally looked her in the face. "Y'know, there's a story about them."

"Cherokee Roses?"

He nodded.

With a smile, she placed her chin in her hands. "Tell me."


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Growing up, Carol had many friends. She wasn't an outgoing girl, but she kind and friendly to everyone she met and people genuinely liked her.

So, when she first saw Daryl Dixon walking, alone, down their middle school's hallways, she knew she had to talk to him. There was just something that drew her to him. He always looked like a kicked puppy, never making eye contact with anyone, shoulders constantly hunched. Almost as if he thought someone was going to hit him. He went so far as to flinch any time anyone got to close to touch him.

He had no friends, that she knew of and there were days when he would come to school sporting either a black eye, bruised cheek or split lip. His home life wasn't the greatest, she knew, with his father being the town-drunk and brother the town delinquent. Most people forgot about the younger Dixon when the other two were on the loose, but not enough to allow their children to talk to him.

Having moved to the small Georgia town a few years back, her father didn't know about the Dixon's and if he did, he never told her to stay away from them. Not that he had very many chances too, since he was barely home.

One Friday afternoon, she purposely missed her bus and waited by the stop sign in front of the school; the same stop sign she had seen him walk past on his way home everyday.

She knew he would be late today; their English teacher had wanted to speak with him. He struggled in the class, he could tell. She, herself, struggled in math; another class they both shared.

Spotting him finally coming out of the school's front doors, she had to refrain herself from running up to him to say hello. The last thing she wanted to do now was scare him off.

He would have walked right past her, if she hadn't fallen in step beside him.

"Hey." She smiled and looked at him, hoping to at least catch a glimpse of his eyes. They were a pretty blue, she had been surprised to notice the one time he had looked at her briefly in class.

His shoulders stiffened and he continued to stare at the ground, as if he was watching his feet to make sure he didn't take a misstep. Today, he sported a bruised cheek.

Undeterred, she continued to speak. "Did Ms. Meyer rip you a new one? That's what Mr. Boyer did to me when I failed that test last week. I just wanted to tell him that he obviously wasn't teaching it right, cuz I didn't know what the heck was going on in there." She peeked over at him. His eyes were still on the ground, but his head was slightly tilted up, as if he was actually listening to her. "So, what did you get on the test?"

"An A." He mumbled.

"Really?" She was impressed, not because she thought he was just some stupid redneck, but because she didn't think anyone actually understood anything that came out of Mr. Boyer's mouth.

"Yea, it was easy."

Smiling to herself, she wanted to do a little dance of victory. She had actually gotten Daryl Dixon to talk to her. As far as she knew no one had been able too.

They were soon approaching the road she would have to turn down to get home, but she was far from done talking to him. So, without glancing down the street she continued walking alongside him

"Maybe you can help me with math sometime. I would to at least get a C in there. Miracles can happen, right?" She smiled, when he heard him snort a laugh at that. "I could help you with English if you want?"

Instantly the corners of his mouth turned down and his shoulders stiffened back into a defensive gesture. "Who says I need help? I ain't stupid."

"I-I never said you were. I just thought that was what Ms. Meyer wanted to talk to you about. I-I'm sorry." She was ashamed to have had assumed that if him. Just because he was a Dixon didn't mean he was stupid.

The tension in his shoulders slowly began to disappear and he turned to her, the first the whole trip, his mouth was slightly quirked on one side. Probably the closest thing to a smile she would get from him.

"Naw, you were right, I need help. Catcher in the Rye is really kickin' my ass."

She brightened. "I can help. I've read it twice already."

He snorted. "Hell, I don't even wanna read the damn thing once. How could you have read it twice?"

Shrugging, she picked at a stray thread on the sleeve of her read sweater. "It gave me something to do, I guess. Besides, I like reading." She didn't particularly like the book, but it gave her something to do while she sat alone in her home. The ultimate pay-off was that she knew she would ace the test when it came down to take it.

"So, what do you say? I help you with that God-awful book and you help me try to understand the foreign language Mr. Boyer seems to be speaking."

Smirking, he replied. "Okay."

"Great! Maybe we can meet at the library tomorrow at-"

"Pfft."

She stopped dead in her tracks, hands now on her waist, to look at him. "What?"

He stopped, too, and looked back at her, smirk still in place. "Do ya really think someone like me would step into a place like that?"

Shrugging, she said. "It's not like it's a tea shop or anything; so why not?"

He shook his head. "I'm a Dixon and we Dixon's ain't been known to read books, at least willingly. Hell, last year my pa was arrested cuz he passed out drunk on the steps. My brother and I haven't been near there since."

"Well then, where do you want to meet?" If he didn't have an idea where to go she supposed they could always go to her house, her father would most likely not be home to bother them. But she didn't know how Daryl would feel about that, seeing as they had just started talking.

"How 'bout we meet at the park down the street from there? I feel more comfortable outdoors anyways." The last part was mumbled, but she still heard it. He knew that him and his brother often went hunting in the woods. She had seen a deer strapped to his brother's pickup once.

"Okay." Smiling at him, she finally noticed how far they had walked. "Well, I should probably turn around now. We passed my street a while ago. So, I'll see you tomorrow, around one? I'll bring us lunch!"

He nodded, clutching the frayed strap of his book bag, almost like it was a security blanket of some sort.

"I'll see you then, Daryl. Bye!" With a final wave, she turned from him and started walking back down the street.

He watched her for a few moments before he too turned around, but then her voice stopped him.

"Oh, and Daryl?"

"Yea?" He asked, confused. What did she want know?

"It was, um, nice talking to you!" And without waiting for him to replay, she turned around quickly and continued walking. She didn't look behind her again.


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Springtime in Georgia was probably her favorite of the seasons. The summers here were brutal, the winters a little too chilly for her. And even though the colors of fall were pretty, it was the time things were dying not coming to life like they did in the spring.

Daryl's idea of studying outside had been a perfect one she had to admit, especially now with the weather being so nice. The sky was almost completely blue, with the occasional fluffy, white cloud blocking the sun temporarily, so it was not constantly bearing down on her. But even with the clouds help, she still needed more protection from the sun, so she had brought along a small tube of sunscreen. She didn't mind her freckles, but also didn't want to add more to her collection.

There was also a slight breeze; noticeable enough to give her a pleasant cool, but slight enough that it wouldn't rustle any of the pages or papers her and Daryl would be working on.

Thinking about Daryl, she looked at the small gold watch on her wrist, a gift from her mother on her tenth birthday, and noticed that it was now five minutes past one. He was only five minutes late and she really hadn't expected him to come right at one. It wasn't his fault that she had decided that she would arrive fifteen minutes early. She was also very glad to find that she was the only one there. Hardly anyone came to this park, it being surrounded on three sides by woods. They were too afraid their child would wonder off; to never been seen again. Swallowed up by the dense forest.

Choosing a picnic table, there had only been two, she choose the one farthest to the back of the playground, closest to the woods. From her spot, she could see down the road a little ways and would know when Daryl finally showed up.

That was...if he showed up.  
\-----------------

"Where the hell ya goin', boy?"

Daryl nearly jumped out of his skin the moment he heard the raspy voice of his older brother. Since when was he home on a Saturday, let alone awake?

"Well, baby bro. Where ya going?"

Hunching his shoulders a little, he didn't turn around and face his brother, who he figured was probably standing in his bedroom doorway. "Huntin'."

"Ain't it a little late for that?" His voice was much closer now, almost right behind him. "The sun's been up fer hours. Where ya really goin'?"

He turned around then, gathering the courage to stand chest-to-chest with his brother, only to find that Merle was reclining on the ratty old couch they had in their small living room. "Fuck you, Merle. Said I was goin' hunting!"

"Shit, little bro, what has your panties in a twist? You hidin' something from ol' Merle? Gots yourself a girlfriend?" He laughed then, like he had just told a funny joke. "Naw, ya probably got yourself a boyfriend!" Sitting up on the couch, the smile vanished instantly. "You haven't gone queer on me, have you?"

"'Course not!" Turning back to their front door, he gripped the brass handle and just wanted to rip the door off its hinges. "I'm gonna go see if I can get us some squirrel for supper."

"Make it rabbit!" Merle called after him. "Gettin' fucking sick of squirrel!"  
\--------------

Grabbing his crossbow from the shed, the anger he felt at his brother at the moment went to the back of his mine as he felt the familiar weight on his back.

He felt safe with the weapon on his back. Nothing could hurt him, no one could hurt him...well, not physically anyway.

The fuck was wrong with him? What was he doing? Was he really meeting some girl he barely knew, to study? He had half a mind to just veer off the road he was walking on and head straight into the woods to do some real hunting.

But then he thought the disappointment that would be on Carol's face, if he didn't show. He bet she would never talk to him again. The thought alone made him...

Fuck! Why should he even care about her and how she would feel! She had no business talking to him anyways. He was doing jus' fine on his own. Hell, who cared if he failed English. Who needed it anyways? Merle lasted only one year in high school; maybe he'd do the same and then work at a garage or something.

His gut wrenched at the thought. He knew that he wanted more than that. Wanted to get out of the shithole house he lived in now, wanted to become something. He didn't know what yet, but he knew he wanted more for himself than being the stupid redneck that got his ass beat on occasion by his pa and brother.

So, with those thoughts he continued on his way to the park he knew Carol would be waiting for him at.  
\-----------------

It was almost two and Daryl hadn't shown up. To say she was disappointment would have been an understatement. She had been looking forward to this study session the moment she had mentioned it.

Daryl seemed very interesting and she wanted to know him better, she wanted to become his friend.

But as the big hand on her watch inched closer to two-fifteen, she realized he probably wasn't going to show and she moved to the gather the books and notebooks she had spread on the table.

"Thought ya needed help?"

She jumped as the voice came from behind her. She had expected him to come from the road, obviously, he had other ideas.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she turned around and tried to look angry, but she felt the corner of her mouth quirk up. "You're late. I almost got through Catcher in the Rye a third time." That was lie. She hadn't even touched the book.

He shrugged. "Got sidetracked by my dumbass brother."

He moved around to the other side of the table and that's when she noticed the crossbow settled on his back.

"You're not planning on killing me, are you?" Smirking, she took a seat.

Placing his crossbow on the seat beside him, he returned her smirk. "Wasn't plannin' on it, but if you can't get me to understand this shit." He fingered the book they had to read in English. "I may have too."  
\----------------

He was surprised when she threw her head back and laughed. He found that he quite liked it. Her life. And the fact that he had made her laugh, made him happier. So, he chuckled along with her for a moment.

It was nice to have someone laugh with you and not at you. He could get use to this, he supposed.

Once she finished laughing, she decided it was time to get down to business. "So, what do you want to do first? Math or English."

"It don't matter to me." He rested his forearms on the rough wood of the table, looking anywhere but at her.

"Doesn't."

He looked confused, eyes connected with hers briefly. "What?"

"It doesn't matter to me, not don't." She teased, hoping she might get another smile out of him. She liked his smile.

"Hey, I wanted ya to help me understand this damn book; not correct the way I talk!" He tried to sound angry, knowing that she was only teasing him.

"Sorry." She chuckled. "So, math it is! I just want to get this over with." She turned to her book bag, taking the heavy math book out, and slammed it on the table.

They both jumped at the loud noise it made.

"Jesus, Carol! I was plannin' on going huntin' after this, but you just probably scared off all the game."

"Sorry." She apologized for the second time. "At least we both know we're awake."

"Yea."

"So, did you bring your book?" She cracked open hers and turned to the page they had been looking up in class.  
\-----------------

With a start, he realized he hadn't thought of bringing his own book bag. It had been for the best, though. He didn't know how he would have explained that away to his brother.

"Naw, didn't want my brother to know what I was up too."

She nodded, in what he assumed was understanding, "It's alright. We can share." She grabbed her book and stood up.

He wondered briefly, where she was going, but she went around the table and sat next to him. He immediately tensed up when her shoulder brushed against his. He couldn't move over, though, for fear he would knock his precious crossbow on the ground.

If she noticed his tension, she didn't say anything.

"So," she pointed to a problem that had a mix of symbols and numbers. "How the heck do you do that?"  
\---------------------

Thirty minutes later, she thought she was finally getting it but then her stomach rumbled and she lost her concentration.

"Oh!" She cried, startling him a little. "I brought lunch!"

Not wanting to get up and walk to her book bag, she leaned her body over the table not realizing her butt was probably in Daryl's face. She sat back down, paper bag in hand and found that his face was red and he was looking away from her. Figuring, it was best to ignore her own embarrassment as well, she dumped the contents of the bag on the table unceremoniously.

"I made a ham sandwich and a peanut butter sandwich. I didn't know which one you would like more or if at all." She sighed in relief when he hesitantly took the ham sandwich. "Good choice. I don't like ham. I also have two chocolate puddings," she slid one to him, along with a spoon. "And potato chips. Those we can share!"

"Thanks," he mumbled before taking a bite of his sandwich, clearly hungry.

She beamed. "You're welcome." Then she set about unwrapping her own sandwich.  
\-------------

Two hours later, they closed their books and decided that they had done enough learning; especially on a weekend. Now, once again opposite of him, she zipped up her book bag and smiled at him.

"We should do that again. I think it really helped." She slung her book bag on her shoulders.

He nodded as he put his head through the strap of his crossbow and made sure it laid neatly on his back. The last thing he needed was an arrow in the ass.

"I should head home now. See you on Monday?"

Without his consent, his mouth opened up and words spilled out. "I-I can walk ya home, if ya want." He didn't want to look at her and instead focused his attention on his shoes.

"Sure! That would be great!"

The happiness in her voice surprised him and he once again wondered why this girl wanted to hang out with redneck trash like him.  
\---------------

Though, they didn't talk much on the way to her home, she didn't mind. She liked being in his company and hoped that he felt the same way about her.

"Well, here we are." They had arrived at her small white house. "Thanks."

He gripped the strap on his crossbow tight. "Yer welcome."

"See you Monday!" She hopped up the two steps to her door and turned around to see him still standing there. "Bye." She waved, smiling.

He waved slightly back, a tiny smile playing on his lips and soon was making his way back down the street.

This time, she was the one to watch him go.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

She wasn't surprised to open the door to her home to find it completely dark. Of course, her father wouldn't be home, it was still the weekend after all and he was most likely still at his girlfriend's house. She didn't mind that he was seeing someone, even though he had been seeing many of some ones since her mother had left them when she was ten, but she would have liked to see him once in awhile or actually meet one of his girlfriends.

With a sigh, she headed towards the kitchen, not bothering to turn on any lights since the setting sun still left her with enough light to see where she was going. Their kitchen was small and only held the basics, refrigerator, stove, sink and a small table where they ate their meals. She made her way to the refrigerator in the corner of the kitchen and opened the door, momentarily blinded by the artificial light. When her eyes finally adjusted, she smiled when she saw the container that held last night's leftovers.

She had made spaghetti, her father's favorite, hoping that maybe he would actually come home and enjoy a meal with her. She had even got out of bed early enough to tell him. He had only smiled and told her he would try, but there were no promises.

That night's excuse was that he had to work late. She had been disappointed, but deep down she knew that it would happen. So, she had eaten alone and went to bed early. She had been glad, though, that she had something to look forward the next day, her study day with Daryl.

She had just but the bowl in the microwave that sat on the only counter when the phone rang. Rushing to it, she hoped that it would be her father to tell her that he was coming home.

So, she answered with a happy, "Hello!"

But instead of the deep voice of her father, she was surprised to hear a high-pitched, bubbly one. "Hey, Carol! It's Jessica!"

"Oh, hey Jessica." She couldn't help but be slightly confused. Jessica was her neighbor and friend, but she had never called her before.

"I just called to you ask you a question." She paused for a second. "Was that Daryl Dixon standing in your front yard earlier?"

"Um," she twisted the phone cord with her fingers. "Yes."

Jessica laughed an annoying high bitched chuckle that reminded Carol slightly of a horse. Had she always thought her laugh was annoying?

"Don't tell me, he shot a squirrel in your backyard and was wondering if he could go and get it. God, those Dixon's and-"

"He walked me home, Jessica." Her fingers now curled into a fist at her side. She had heard Jessica talk about Merle and Daryl before, but had never paid much attention to her when she had. Now, it bothered her since she had actually talked to the youngest Dixon.

"What? You let him walk with you...as in beside you?"

"Yes," she gritted out. "That's what generally happens when you walk with someone."

"But why? Carol he's a Dixon. They're dangerous...and dirty. I mean, have you seen the cloth-"

"Listen, Jessica, thanks for the call, but I have to go." She briefly thought about hanging up on her without saying good-bye, but she could never be so rude.

"Wait! I just want you to be careful! If Daryl is anything like his brother then you need to stay away from him. I'm just looking out for you!"

"Uh-hmm." The microwave dinged and she moved to remove the bowl. "Well, I appreciate it, but there's nothing wrong with Da-"

"Oh!" She was instantly back to being bubbly. "I almost forgot! Me and a couple of girlfriends from school are going down to the diner. Wanna come?"

Carol stared at her steaming bowl of leftover spaghetti and then to the empty table. It didn't take her long to come to a decision. "No, thanks. I already made supper. You guys have fun!" She decided she'd rather keep her own company than sit with Jessica and her other friends. She would have mostly told them about Daryl and they would probably just ask her questions all night. That was something Carol didn't really want to deal with at the moment.

"Alright then! See you Monday!" And she hung up.

With a sigh of relief, she placed the phone back in the cradle and took her bowl to sit in the living room and watch TV...by herself.  
==================

"Where's dinner, boy?" Merle wasted no time asking him, once he stepped through the door empty-handed.

"Couldn't find no rabbit and you didn't want squirrel, so I didn't get anything thing." That had been the best lie he could think of and it was a pretty dam n good one he thought. If his brother knew where he really had been and what he had been doing, he would never hear the end of it.

Merle stood up from the couch he seemed to have not moved from since Daryl had left the few hours earlier. "Then wha' the fuck we supposed to eat?"

Daryl shrugged. "There's some pickles left in the fridge."

"I ate them hours ago." He began to dig in the pocket of his dirty jeans. "Yer lucky I came by some money today."

He grabbed Daryl's wrist and slapped a crumpled ten-dollar bill in his hand. Daryl knew better than to ask where he had gotten the money.

"Now, get ya ass down to that diner and get us a couple of burgers." Without another glance at him, he resumed his spot on the couch. "Looks like I'm the one providin' tonight."  
===============================

Daryl hated going to the diner, not because their food was nasty, but because of the kind of people that usually frequented it. It was the only sit-down restaurant in their small town, so everyone went there. And one thing Daryl knew about this town was that no one had a very high opinion of the Dixon clan. Whenever he walked through those doors, which wasn't often, he would get dirty looks from the waitresses, the cashier, the customers and even the damn cooks!

He just wanted to turn right back around and head home, but Merle would definitely not be happy if he came home empty-handed for the second time.

So, he plastered on an 'I don't give a fuck' face and walked up to the register to order, the whole time hoping the cooks didn't take their sweet time. After all, they probably wanted him out of there as much as he wanted to get out of there himself.

The woman at the register took his money and unwrinkled it with disgust. Daryl tried not to look embarrassed and kept his head down, while resisting the urge to chew on his thumbnail. He did that when he was nervous or uncomfortable; Merle always gave him hell over it.

"Only pussies chew on their fingernails, Darylena!" He would say, followed by a slap against his head.

He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his ratty jeans, to make sure he didn't bring his hand to his mouth unconsciously. He did that often, too.

"Daryl!" An unfamiliar girl's voice called to him. It was a little too high for his liking and he turned around to come face to face with a pretty girl with blond hair and green eyes.

He tried to recall her name, having seen her walking the halls in school sometimes with Carol. Jessie? Jessica?

She was staring at him now; hand on her hips and a scowl on her face. What had he done to her?

"Hello?" She waved her hand in his face. "Can you talk?"

"What ya want?" He crossed his arms in front of him, in a defensive gesture.

"I saw you in front of Carol's house earlier." She pointed a finger in his face. "You stay away from her. She's a nice girl and she's nice to everyone and everything. But she doesn't need to be hanging around the likes of you!"

He didn't know what to say that to that, so he just remained silent.

"I don't want to see you near her anymore. Do you understand, Dixon? She's too good for you and your kind!"

Kind? What the hell was that? "Listen here, bitch." He growled, ignoring the gasp that came out of her mouth. "Las' time I checked ya wasn't my momma. Ya don't get ta tell me who I can talk too." Only Merle could. "But ya don't gotta worry about me and Carol cuz I ain't gonna be talkin' to her any more. 'Specially if she's hanging around with harpies like you and your friends."

The girl looked scandalized. "How dare you ta-"

"Hey, boy, why don't you get your order and get out." The cashier held out a greasy bag and he snatched at it. Pushing past the girl, he finally left the diner. That was the last time he was going there to get Merle some fuckin' food!  
==================================

Daryl hadn't look at her once since she had taken her seat, in math class, a few chairs over. In fact, it was like he was avoiding her gaze. She was going to walk over and talk to him, but Jessica had tugged on her arm and made her sit down.

"Hey, you're sitting with me and Angelica at lunch, right?" Jessica smiled, as she swiped some of her blonde hair off her shoulder.

Carol couldn't help but give her an odd look. "I eat lunch with you guy's everyday."

"Just making sure." Her smile looked too big to be real and Carol suddenly started feeling suspicious. What was going on with her today?

But before she could say anything, Mr. Boyer walked into the room.  
=====================================

It was a nice day, so they were allowed to eat their lunches outside. Daryl usually would find a table to sit and brood by himself, but today he found none. So, he opted to sit at the trunk of a tree close to the outside edge of the courtyard they all sat in. He spotted Carol sitting with her two blonde friends; she stuck out because her hair was a reddish-brown and curly. Unlike their own flat-ironed locks. They looked fake while she looked natural. And that's when he had to look away from her. It may have been nice to sit and talk with her on Saturday, but this was the real world. In the real world, Carol had many of friends that hated him and he had no friends at all.

His hands needed something to do, so he started to pick at the frayed edges of the hole in his jeans. He knew if he didn't stop, he would eventually ruin the pair and they would have to be thrown out. He couldn't afford that, only having two other suitable pair to wear to school.

"Hey, Daryl."

His head snapped up at her voice, surprised that she had managed to sneak up on him.

"Mind if I join you?" She was smiling and held a paper bag in her hand, similar to the one they had shared a few days ago.

He looked away from her. "Ya friends ain't gonna like that much." He looked at the table Carol had been moments before and found the blonde girls glaring at him.

"So." She shrugged and took her seat next to him. "I figured since we're friends now, I can eat my lunch with you too."

He glared at her, or tried too. "We ain't friends!" He growled.

She only smiled back at him, unperturbed by his harsh tone. "I'm sorry, but we ate chocolate pudding together, Daryl. We're friends." Her face lit up even more. "Oh, and speaking of pudding." She reached in her bag and took out two puddings. "They're banana today. You like banana, I hope?"

He could only nod. He tried to ignore his stomach rumblings, the last real meal he had was those hamburgers a few days ago.

"Here you go." She held out one of the puddings and a spoon.

He took it reluctantly and tensed when she moved her body so that their arms brushed and their backs were to the tree.

"We're eating banana puddings together now, Daryl, so that means we have to be best friends!"  
==================================

After that day, they sat by each every day at lunch against the same tree. The moment she realized Daryl never brought anything to eat, Carol decided she would always bring lunch for the both of them.

They even started walking home with each other, Carol always reluctant to turn down her street when they did. Sometimes, she would even walk a little ways past it with him. She liked Daryl. He was surprisingly easier to talk too, much easier than Jessica and Angelica had been. They had been more interested in their clothes and boys. While she did like those things, she didn't want to talk about it all the time.

Daryl started to open up to her and she was glad. He had even told her the story of when he was younger and got lost in the woods for nine days. He had even told her about when he got an itchy ass, laughing along with her too.

But their friendship didn't come without consequences. Well for Carol they didn't. After a week of eating lunch with Daryl every day, Jessica and Angelica stopped talking to her. She didn't mind. Then it wasn't soon after that, all her other friends stopped talking to her as well.

Daryl had noticed and even suggested that they stop eating together. She refused, of course.

"No, I like eating with you and I'm just realizing now that I was friends with a lot of fake people. " She peered over sandwich at him, with a smirk. "You're not fake, right?"

He scoffed at her. "Do ya really think I would be like this on purpose? Do ya think I like being a piece of redneck trash?"

She had placed a hand on his knee; he had only tensed for a few moments. "I don't think you're trash, Daryl. You know that right?"

He nodded, because he really knew she didn't think that of him. And he was secretly glad that at least someone in this world thought he was something more than just some backwoods hick.


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter 5

"God, I can't stand this stuff." Carol complained as she tried to pick clay from underneath her fingernails. No matter how hard she scrubbed her hands after class, they always had some stray clay underneath the nails. It irritated her to no end and Daryl made it worse when he would laugh at her.

"It don't bother me none." Daryl chuckled as he examined his own hands, still covered in the gray clay. He had to admit they looked better than when his hands were mud-covered, or worse, blood-covered because of the kill he just snagged.

"Yea, but you're use to it, Mr. Outdoorsman!" She grabbed one of his hands and wrinkled her hands. "Did you even wash your hands?"

His smile widened and his eyes twinkled. "Nope!"

"Ugh!" She dropped his hand and he couldn't help but mourn the loss of her hand in his.

Quickly, he pushed that thought away. One didn't have those kinds of thoughts about their best friend. Especially one that was as pretty and nice as Carol. Who probably, in an alternate universe, would not be seen with the likes of him.

"Daryl?" She nudged his shoulder, frowning. "Are you okay? Did you hear any of what I just said?"

"Huh?" He shook his head and blinked. "Naw, I didn't hear a word."

"Thought so." She smirked. "Since I asked you when are we finally going to go shopping?"

"What?" He stopped in his tracks. Shopping? Da hell?

"Yep!" She sing-songed and stood in front of him, a large smile plastered on her face. "You need a new pair of pants." She fingered the hole below his front pocket.

He jumped back at the feel of her cool fingers on his thigh. he found himself enjoying that too.

"What's wrong with my pants, woman?" He growled, with no malice behind it. He rarely got angry with her these days.

She stepped back and turned her face away, but not before, he caught a glimpse of her blushing cheeks. "Nothing's wrong with them. Nothing at all." She turned completely away. "Come on. We're going to be late for class."  
\------------------------------

Carol looked outside at the pouring rain. Of course, it would start raining the moment school let out. Feeling a presence behind her, she turned around and came face-to-face with Daryl.

She smirked. "So, are you going to run out there to get your truck and then come pick me up?"

He nudged her shoulder, returning her smirk. "Who said I was givin' ya ass a ride?"

"Fine then." She crossed her arms in front of her and glared back at him. "I'll walk home, then. Who cares if I get sick and die of pneumonia?"

"Fine. Ya can ride wit' me, only cuz if ya die then no one would bring me lunch everyday."

She laughed and he chuckled along with her.

"So," she braced herself against the door. "On three?"

He took the other door, ready to push it open and nodded.

"Okay. One...two...three!"

They took off.

"Well that didn't last long." Carol shivered in her seat and watched Daryl turn off the wipers. She pushed some of her brown hair, that was plastered to her face, behind her ear.

"If we had waited a few minutes, we wouldn't have gotten soaked." Daryl turned down her street. He was as soaked as she was, his own hair plastered to his head. It was a wonder he could see with his bangs in his eyes. He really needed a haircut.

"I'm going to have to blow dry my books when I get inside." She shifted uncomfortable in her wet jeans. "But I'll do it after I take a hot shower."

"Tha' sounds nice." He mumbled, partly too himself.

"I think I'm going to put a pair of fluffy pajamas on and just relax and watch a movie." She peered over at him. "Do you want to come over, later? I can make us supper." With a sigh, she looked out her window. "My dad isn't going to be home...again."

Daryl lifted one hand of the steering wheel and chewed on his thumbnail, eyes focused on the road. "Merle's back from his huntin' trip."

"Oh."

And with that one word, he knew that she understood. Carol had met Merle a few times, since her and Daryl had become friends five years ago. Merle had always been pleasant enough to her, but the moment she would leave he would give Daryl hell.

"You sleep with her yet?" He would ask with a coff to his head.

Daryl usually would reply with a shove and an "It ain't like that!" Things would escalate, then, and Daryl would come to school the next day sporting a black eye or cheek, sometimes even both.

So, they had agreed that while Merle was around they would spend less time together. Neither of them liked it, being each other's best friend after all, but they knew it was for the best.

Carol hated seeing Daryl hurt.

When they pulled into her driveway, they sat in silence for a moment. It was a comfortable silence and they had them often.

"Alright then." Carol grabbed her backpack off the floor. "I'll see you later." She threw him a smile as she opened the door.

"Yea. See ya later." He didn't know when he would see her next, probably not until school on Monday or maybe, if he was lucky and Merle went out on Saturday, he would come over then. They never told each other a specific day they would see each other, they just happened. Like one morning in the fall, he had come knocking on her door just as the sun came up to ask if she wanted to go hunting with him. Though she had been tired and surprised to see him, she jumped at the chance to finally see him in action.

He had even let her shoot his crossbow, even though they couldn't find the arrow afterwards.

Daryl couldn't help but smile at the memory as he pulled out of her driveway. He told himself everyday that he was glad he had a friend like Carol.  
\--------------------------

Carol slammed the door shut on the mailbox after she grabbed the few pieces of mail that had been inside. All of them were bills that she would just leave on the counter top for her father too see...whenever he came home.

As she turned to walk to her door, a red convertible sitting in Jessica's driveway caught her eye.

Jessica didn't own a convertible.

A young man, who she supposed was the owner, was leaning against the driver's side door and was talking to a clearly flirting Jessica.

Jessica peered around the young man's shoulder and saw her. Her eyes lit up and she smiled.

"Oh, Carol. Hi!" She grabbed the man's arm and dragged him over to the line of bushes that separated the two yards.

Carol was confused. Jessica hadn't spoken one word to her since the eighth grade. What had changed?

But as Jessica and the guy came closer, she took a moment to study him. She had only seen him once around school, he was new and his first day had only been yesterday.

Today, he was wearing his old high school's letterman's jacket and without looking at any of the patches, she knew he had played football. He wasn't very tall, but he was built.

He had short dark brown hair and light brown eyes and she could definitely tell why Jessica had been flirting with him.

He wasn't ugly.

It seemed as she looked him over, he had been doing the same to her and from the smile on his face, she could guess that he liked what he saw. The thought made her blush slightly. No boy had ever looked at her like that. Well, any boy that she had wanted. She wasn't pretty like Jessica.

"Oh, how silly of me." Jessica smiled widely after a moment of silence, placing a flirtatious hand on the man's shoulder. "This is-"

He interrupted her, with a smile and a hand offered to Carol. "I'm Ed. Ed Peletier."


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter 6

She took his hand with a smile. "Carol." His handshake was firm and his hand uncalloused. Very unlike a certain redneck she knew.

As they exchanged pleasantries, Jessica's smile slowly started to fade as she looked between the two. Eyes flashing green, she stepped between them. "Ed and I were just going to get a bite to eat, before we went to the movies." Turning to him, she once again plastered on a smile. "Right, Ed?"

It seemed he was finally able to tear his eyes away from Carol to look at his date. "Yea." He smiled at her and looked down at his watch; an expensive looking gold one. "We should probably get going or we won't have time to eat."

"Okay!" She did a little happy bounce, clearly eager to be going on this date. Carol supposed she didn't blame her.

Ed once again turned to her, white teeth flashing still in a smile. "It was nice meeting you, Carol. I guess I'll be seeing you around school, then."

Carol nodded, smiling back. "Yea, you probably will."

As she watched Jessica lead Ed back to his car, where he opened the passenger door for her, she didn't know what to make of him. He seemed nice enough.  
\------------------------------

Daryl pulled into his own driveway, right next to Merle's bike. What kind of brother was he wishing that Merle had stayed longer on his trip, just so he could spend the evening with his best friend?

Merle was blood. And he had been neglecting him recently, opting to spend his weekends over at Carol's than going hunting with him. He was lucky Merle hadn't said anything about it...yet. Daryl was waiting for him to unleash.

His face had been bruise-free for over a week. It was a record.

He walked into his house to find Merle sprawled on the couch and from the looks of things he was high. That wasn't a good sign.

Merle tilted his head back so he was looking at Merle, upside down. "Where the hell ya been at, boy? Been home alone fer hours?"

"School." He kept his head and headed toward his room, hoping that he could walk by without another word from Merle.

No such luck.

Merle grabbed the back of his shirt so hard he almost fell back on his ass. "When are ya goin' quit this school shit? Hell, it didn't take me long to figure out it wasn't worth my time."

Merle's brow furrowed and he let go of Daryl's shirt. All he wanted to do was bolt to his room, but didn't want to anger his brother by running away.

"It's tha' girl, ain't it?" He sat up then, smirking up at him. "Ya only goin' to school to see tha' girl of yours."

"That ain't it, Merle." He did try to leave then, but his brother grabbed the strap of his book bag then and kept him there.

"Ya hit that yet?" His gripped tightened when Daryl tried to pull away. "Cuz if you haven't then I'd gladly deflower her for ya."

Daryl finally managed to tear away from Merle, unfortunately so did the strap on his book bag. He supposed it was for the best, the thing was a piece of shit anyway.

"Fuck you, Merle!" He growled.

"Oh, did I hit a nerve, baby brother?" He laid back down on the couch, hands behind his head. "Don't like the idea of yer girl underneath ol' Merle, do ya? Don't like the thought of her screamin' ma name, huh?"

Daryl clenched his fists so tight, he felt his blunt nails bite into his skin. Merle had no right to talk about her like that! "You know what, Merle? Go ta fuckin' hell!"

In an instant, his brother was on his feet and fisting his collar in his hands. "What ya say to me, boy?" His eyes were bloodshot, the obvious side effect of the drugs he had been taking.

Daryl looked right back into those eyes. Defiant. "Ya heard me."

Merle's one-handed grip on him tightened and from the corner of his eye he saw the other hand, now balled into a fist, coming straight for his face.

So much for that record.  
\------------------

Daryl held the ice pack to his now swollen eye, as he lay in his bed. His and Merle's fight hadn't lasted long. Merle had only managed to get in that one hit, before they heard the slam of a car door.

There pa was home.

Merle immediately let go of him and basically shoved him into the direction of his room, while he resumed his spot on the couch.

Daryl was their father's favorite punching bag, mostly because Daryl had yet to hit the old man back. He wanted too, all the time, but he just couldn't. Pa Dixon was much larger than his boys and that was saying a lot because Merle was a pretty impressive size. Any fight with him could lead either Dixon brother to the hospital.

Merle had been sent their twice, but he had yet to learn the lesson. No one hit Buck Dixon and got away unharmed, or without a few broken bones.

Daryl tended to just avoid his daddy, mostly hiding out in his room or out in the woods. But since the sun was now setting, the woods couldn't be his safe haven now. He had briefly considered going to Carol's house, she would have gladly welcomed him inside, but he would have to walk by Merle and his brother would know exactly where he was going. She would have also seen his swollen eye and immediately know who had given it to him.

So, his room it was.  
\------------------------------

Carol felt warm and cozy in her fluffy pajamas as she lounged in her bed, with her favorite book. The sun hadn't even set yet and she was already ready to call it a night. She had already eaten her supper of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich; not feeling cooking if it was only going to be her.

The phone on her bedside table suddenly rang, causing Carol to jump and drop her book; losing her place. She reached over the mountain of pillows she had been resting her head on and picked it up.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Hey, sweetheart!"

Instantly a smile came to her face. "Hi, Daddy. Are you coming home, tonight?"

"I'm sorry, honey." He did sound sorry, but her smile still faded quickly.

"It's okay." She had said that sentence to him so many times that it had slipped past her lips without even realizing it. She had even managed to mask the disappointment in it as well. She had had plenty of opportunities to practice it.

"I just wanted to call and ask how your day's been."

"It's been good." She settled back on her mountain. "Nothing really interesting happened today at all. Like usually."

"Oh, really? Well, how's Daryl been?" Her father always managed to ask about Daryl. Not because he disliked him or anything, but because he knew that he was Carol's only friend and he really did want to know about his daughter's life; even though he was hardly there to see any of it.

"He's been good." There wasn't really anything else she could say.

"So, has he asked you out?"

Sitting straight up in her bed, she caused the phone cradle to clatter to the floor. "What?!"

Her father chuckled on the other end of the line. "Carol, honey, you are a very pretty girl, obviously you got your good looks from me, so what boy wouldn't want to ask you out?"

Ed Peletier for one; especially not when he had someone as beautiful as Jessica on his arm.

"Dad, stop. Daryl and I are just friends." Why she feel slightly sick to her stomach when she mentioned that? Maybe something had been wrong with the peanut butter she had put on her sandwich.

"Hmm. Whatever you say, honey." He didn't sound convinced. "Well, I have to go now. I love you."

"I love you, too." She said, now with a smile on her face.

"Bye, dear. Sleep well."

"Bye, dad."

They both hung up.

She picked up the phone cradle from the floor and hung the phone up properly, then plopped on her bed. What had her dad been thinking? Daryl and her, together?

No, they were just friends and that's how they would always be.

The sick feeling in her gut returned.


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter 7

Daryl woke up, still in last night's clothes and with a pounding headache. Touching his right eye, the place where all the pain seemed to be radiating from, he winced remembering too late that it was swollen.

Somebody started banging on his door, then, so hard the hinges rattled. It could only be one of two people; Merle or his pa. He hoped it was the former. He would take anything his brother dished out over his pa any day

Absently, he reached behind him and felt the scars on his back from the last time his daddy had gotten to him.

"Yo, baby brother, get ya lazy ass up!"

Daryl groaned, seeing that the sun was barely up. Normally, he was an early-riser, but today he just wanted to lie in bed a little longer.

The door creaked on its hinges as Merle opened it and stood in the doorway.

"Hey, dumbass, get up! Ya got some huntin' to do. Pa wasn't happy ta find we had no meat in the freezer." Daryl heard as his brother's boot-clad feet came closer to him and just laid there when he ripped the thin blanket off him. "So's I suggest ya get your little butt up and maybe he won't beat your ass!"

Daryl could only nod and climb out of bed at Merle's words. The last thing he wanted was to get his ass kicked by his dad.

He hadn't done much hunting during the week and whatever meat he had managed to kill, he and Merle had eaten for supper that night. Well, some nights it was just him and Merle, but most nights it was just him. Merle was usually out drinking or being high.

"Ya best hurry up, too." Merle followed him out of his bedroom and into their living room. "I don' know how long he'll be asleep."

Daryl slipped on his leather jacket, the one with the angel wings sewn on the back, knowing that it would still be slightly chilly outside.

"I'll try an' be back in an hour." He threw a smirk over his shoulder. "If the ol' man gets up before I'm back jus' hit him over the head with a beer bottle or somethin'."

"Ya and me both know that our Daddy's head is too hard fer tha'. He probably wouldn't even feel it."

Daryl snorted his laughter, glad that Merle seemed to be in a good mood today. There were days, when he was high, were he was meaner than a snake to him and then there were days like this. Days like this were few and far between.  
\-----------------------------------------------

The woods were a second home to Daryl. When he was little, he would spend countless hours in them just exploring and sometimes hunting. There was his favorite tree he liked to climb and the same tree he had shot his first squirrel with his crossbow.

After he had gotten lost in the woods when he was nine, Merle had gone out and bought his little brother a crossbow. That way, he had told him, if he ever got lost again he could at least kill himself some food.

There was still no way he could actually cook the meat he had managed to kill and the thought of eating raw squirrel kind of grossed him out. So, he made sure he always knew where he was.

He hadn't gotten lost since.  
\----------------------------------------------

Carol woke up early. Too early, she thought, for a Saturday, but she had gone to bed earlier than normal the night before and now her body told her that she had had enough sleep. Staring at her ceiling, she kept telling herself that she should really get up, but she didn't want too.

She had no plans for the day and was seriously considering just laying around in her pajamas and watch movies all day. That was a typical Saturday for her. Having hardly any friends meant she had no one to make plans with. Usually Daryl was stuck at home with his brother and, sometimes, his dad on the weekends so she barely saw him.

Rolling out of bed, she finally decided that she should probably get up and become a productive citizen. Maybe she would go to the library today. She did have a book to return and it would be nice to have something new to read since she did spend most of her time alone anyways.

So, she gathered up some clothes and headed to her bathroom to shower.  
\---------------------------------------------

Daryl held the deer within his sights and after a few agonizing quiet moments he let a bolt fly. He gave himself a smile of pride when he watched the doe crumple to the ground, his arrow imbedded into it's brown fur.

They would be eating good, tonight.  
\---------------------------------------------

It took him nearly an hour to drag the deer to their backdoor, but Merle spotted him through the kitchen window and came out to help.

"Wow, baby brother." He slapped his brother on the shoulder. "This should last us awhile." He grabbed the other piece of rope from Daryl and helped him bring the carcass to the back porch. There he would skin and gut the thing and then start cutting it up for meat. He hoped Merle would offer to help him with that as well, but he knew that his brother hated getting his hands bloody. Which was ironic, considering the number of bar fights he had been in and the number of times he had broken someone's nose, blood sputtering everywhere.

So, when Merle took a seat next to him he thought he was going to takeout his own knife and help him skin the beast. But that wasn't the case.

"Listen, little brother." He said in a tone that made Daryl stop his work on the animal and look at him. "I think after ya get this deer ready for eatin', ya should make yourself scare."

He squinted his eyes in confusion.

Merle ran a hand through his short-cropped hair. "He found his stash."

With those words, his hand went absently to scratch at the scar on his chest; one of the consequences of his pa finding his stash.

"He weren't too happy when he finally found it. He's been yellin' fer ya." He kicked the deer carcass. "So ya best make quick work of this a'right?"

Willing his hands to stop shaking, he continued his work and nodded at his brother. Merle stood up, clapped him in the shoulder and walked into the house, where he heard the TV blaring.

Another hour, found Daryl in his old, beat-up truck. He could only think one place to go and that was where he was heading now. Hopefully, Carol wasn't busy.  
\----------------------------------------------------

Carol had just finished blow-drying her reddish-brown hair and thought about pulling it into a ponytail, when someone knocked on her door.

Wrinkling her brow, she placed the brush done and headed towards her front door, wondering who it could be. She knew that it wasn't Daryl; she would have heard his truck from a mile away.

Peeking through the curtains, she hoped to catch a glimpse of any vehicle in her driveway. There was one, but the sun was shining off it and directly into her eyes she couldn't tell what it was. So with a sigh she went the front door and opened it.

She was surprised to see Ed Peletier standing there, a wide smile on his lips. His white teeth sparkled.

"Um, hi." She cringed at her choice of words.

"Hey. Carol, right?"

She could only nod and cursed herself for putting on a pair of sweats, instead of the jeans she had picked out.

"I'm sorry for stopping by unannounced, but I just went to Jessica's house and she's not there." He leaned on the door frame and looked at her. "Do you know where she could be? She told me to meet her at this time."

Carol shook her head. "N-No." She paused, hoping to stop her stutter. "Jessica and I don't talk much actually."

"Oh." Ed folded his arms across his chest. "From what she was telling me last night, you and her are best friends."

She snorted, she couldn't help it. "Me and Jessica haven't been friends, let alone best friends, in years."

His brow furrowed. "Really? You two seemed to get along well enough, from what I saw."

"Ha. I was probably still in shock because that was the first time she's talked to me since the eighth grade." She wasn't bitter about how they had ended their friendship; Daryl was more of a friend to her now than all her friends had been to her back in middle school.

She heard him, before she saw him. The loud roar of the engine from Daryl's truck could heard for miles and she couldn't help but smile as she looked past Ed to see him pull in alongside Ed's car.

Ed turned around at the noise and looked sideways at her, a smirk playing on his lips. "Boyfriend?"

She could feel her cheeks heat up a little. "No!" She said, maybe a little too quickly. "He's just a friend. That's Daryl."

Ed turned to look her full on, eyebrows raised. "Daryl Dixon?"

She was shocked. "You know him?"

"I know of him. I lived one town over; we knew the Dixons there too." He turned from her then, so she couldn't see the sneer on his face.  
\----------------------------------------------------

Daryl felt embarrassed to step out of the rusty hunk of metal he called his trunk. Especially while he was parked by such a nice car.

The owner of the car, he assumed, was standing on the porch talking to Carol and watched him come closer. He immediately didn't like the looks of him. There was just...something about him that was setting his teeth on edge. Maybe it was the fact that Carol clearly looked like she was enjoying herself talking to him, she was even blushing.

He almost stopped in his tracks. Was he started to be jealous? Naw. Carol was his friend, nothing more. He didn't care if she wanted to talk to some pretty boy that drove a pretty car. Hell, he wouldn't care if she decided to date him.

His heart stopped at the thought.

Okay, maybe he did care. Dammit, he was in trouble now.  
\-------------------------------------------------------

"Hey, Daryl." She called to him when he got close.

He looked up from his boots to give her one of his half smiles, then his gaze flickered to her guest and the smile went away; replaced with a scowl.

"This is Ed." She introduced. "I don't know if you've seen him at school, but he's new." She briefly touched Ed's shoulder. "Ed, this is Daryl."

If she expected them to shake hands, then she was greatly disappointed. She couldn't help but feel the tension in the air.

Thank God for Jessica.

"Ed!" Jessica had just pulled into her own driveway and was now making her way to Carol's. "I'm sorry I wasn't here when you got here. I had to get something from the store" Her smile wavered when she saw Daryl and gave him a wide berth.

"It's alright." Ed smiled. "I was enjoying having a conversation with Carol."

Jessica looked past him and at Carol, her smile turned icy. "Oh. Well, that's nice." She grabbed his hand and tugged on it; clearly eager to leave. "Come on, I want you to meet my mom."

"Okay. Let me move my car, then." He turned to Carol, giving her that white-toothed smile. "It was nice talking to you...again." He winked.

Then with one last tug, Jessica had him walking towards his car. Her gait determined.

Carol watched as they pulled out of her driveway and then looked at Daryl. He was looking at her.

"Well, that was interesting." She chuckled.

He didn't say anything, just shuffled his feet and clutched the package in his hand.

That's when she noticed he actually had something in his hands. "What's that?"

"Caught myself a deer, thought you might wanna try some meat." He smirked. He'd been trying to get her to try deer meet for years, but never could spare giving her anyway. Between the three Dixons, they ate their fair share of the meat. It was better than any squirrel or rabbit he'd caught.

"Okay." She stepped aside and motioned for him to walk in. "But you have to be the one to cook it!"

"Ain't that women's work?" He teased, walking inside.

She slapped the back of his arm at the comment. "For that I'm making you do the dishes too!"

"More women's work." He mumbled, slipping off his boots.

"Daryl." She warned, her face set in an angry scowl. That scowl was suddenly replaced by a look of concern.

"Oh my God, Daryl, your eye!"

He had completely forgotten about the black eye he was now sporting. Her cool fingers were suddenly on his face and he jerked, slightly, in surprise.

Surprised by how much he liked her fingers on his skin.

"Merle?" She questioned, getting closer to inspect it.

He could feel her breath on his face, his own catching in his throat. He knew he wouldn't be able to speak without looking like a fool so he nodded instead.

"What was it this time?" She set back on her heels and placed her hands on her hips.

He shrugged. "He was lookin' for a fight. I jus' happened ta be home." He couldn't tell her the real reason.

"And you gave him one?" Disappointment flickered on her face. She hated when he got into fights with his brother because he always came out worse for wear.

"Naw. My pa came home then, so he stopped."

Carol knew about Daryl's pa and she knew what he would do to his youngest son. She had seen the scars on his back and the one on his chest.

Daryl didn't know she knew about them and she wanted to keep it that way. The last thing she wanted was for him to close in on himself. He had opened up to her so much over the years.

"Did you want to stay here tonight, if things get bad? My dad will be home, but you can stay in my room. He'd never know you were here."

Daryl shook his head. This wasn't the first time she asked and it probably wouldn't be the last. He just couldn't bring himself to admit to her that his home-life could be so bad.

He suspected she had her suspicious, though.

Maybe one day he would finally take her up on that offer.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

They stood side-by-side in Carol's kitchen, she was standing over the sink peeling potatoes and Daryl stood next to her cutting up the deer meet into cubes. She couldn't help but smile at how domestic they were acting.

"Whatcha smiling at?" Daryl asked bumping his hip against hers, eyes peeking out underneath the fringe of his hair.

Her smile broadened at the prospect of teasing. "Oh, nothing." She bumped his hip back. "Have you noticed that we're acting like a married couple right now?"

Daryl didn't respond, instead, he hissed in pain and stepped back from the counter; he was clutching his left hand as blood flowed down his wrist from a slice on his finger.

"Oh my God!" She cried and instantly grabbed his hand and began to run it under the cold water. He grunted again, when the cool water hit his skin.

"Knife slipped." He mumbled.

"I see." She leaned closer to his hand. "I don't think it needs stitches, so you're lucky." Looking over her shoulder, she had to suppress a gasp when she saw how close their faces were.

God, his eyes were so blue.

"Um, uh..." She tried to calm herself down. This was Daryl, her best friend. "Stay right here, I'm going to go get the first aid-kit." She maneuvered herself away from him and managed not touch any part of him at all.

"Don't you dare move." She ordered and then all but ran to the bathroom, cheeks flaming.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------

Daryl felt like an idiot. Of course, she had only been teasing him. That was just how she was; she liked to tease, especially with him.

Now, how was he supposed to explain this to Merle? He guessed he could just tell him he cut it while skinning the deer.

He ran a hand through his hair; he was such an idiot. He needed to stop thinking that he and Carol could be anything more. He was just some redneck that only knew how to hunt and fix up cars, while she was smart and pretty and had a bright future in front of her.

He would just bring her down, more than he had already. Carol could have had so many friends now; she would have had many friends if it weren't for him. She was nice to everyone and he didn't doubt for a minute that she would have had been nominated to become prom queen, instead of Jessica.

Saturdays would have been spent at parties or sleepovers, instead of sitting at home by herself or with him.

Yes, he was glad to have a friend like her but not a day went by where he didn't ask himself what she saw in him to stick around so long.

"Daryl?" Her voice made him jump surprised that she had actually snuck up on him.

She must have been surprised too, because she looked shocked when he turned around.

"Is something wrong Daryl?"

He shook his head and shut off the water. His finger had stopped bleeding for the moment.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at him. "Are you sure?" Suspicion leaked into her tone. Daryl cursed silently to himself. She knew him too well.

"Yea, I'm fine. Now, are ya gonna wrap this or do I have too?" He smirked, hoping that she knew he was just teasing.

"Okay, smartass." He lifted an eyebrow at her choice of words, she never cursed. "Hop on the counter and I'll wrap your poor little finger."

Obeying, he used his good hand and lifted himself so that he was sitting on the counter the opposite of the sink he had been working on.

"Now, who's bein' the smartass?"

"Shut up." She slapped his leg. "Now, give me your hand so I can wrap it up. Can't have you bleeding all over our supper."

"Hmmph." He grudgedly handed over his hand and she gripped gingerly to get a good look at his wound.

Without warning, she began to dab it with a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol.

"Fuck!" He jumped at the intense stinging he was now feeling. "Coulda warned me before ya set my finger on fire!"

"Oh, hush!" She threw the cotton ball away and then came back to start wrapping it up. "You know, when I'm finished up here you still have to help me with dishes later."

"Damn, and here I thought nearly choppin' off my damn finger would've excused me from that shit!"

She laughed. "You know you secretly love helping me!"

No, it was because he secretly loved _her_.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------

The deer stew was eaten, and surprisingly enjoyed by her, and the dishes were now all put away; Daryl had grumbled the whole time while she hid her laughter behind a sudsy hand.

After the task was finished, they established themselves in front of the TV, as they often did on the weekends. They never really settled on any particular channel, instead opting to channel surf. Most times, she would make popcorn and they would watch a movie. Some days she would choose what they viewed and other days he would choose.

Tonight, it was Carol's turn to pick and Daryl found himself sitting through a movie, that he would never live down from Merle if he ever found out.

He twitched a little, causing his leg to brush against Carol's. She turned to him and smiled.

"Is everything alright?"

He crossed his arms and looked sideways at her. "I can't believe I hafta sit through this girly movie wit' ya again."

She linked her arm through one of his arms, causing him to uncross them, and leaned close to him. "You know you always cry at the end."

"No, I don't!" He huffed and refused to look at her.

"It's okay." She squeezed his arm a little tighter and leaned her head on it. "Your secret is safe with me."  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that night, Daryl drove home with his bandaged finger throbbing and his right arm tingling from where she had laid her head through the whole movie.

God, he had it bad.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I'm gonna fuckin' kill him! Went through his mind for the tenth time that morning, as he stood in line at the local clothing store. He hated shopping.

He hated it!

And if Merle hadn't been high the night before, finally caving in to their father's example, he wouldn't have grabbed the pocket of Daryl's only good pair of jeans and ripped it clean off.

There was no way he was going to go school with a giant hole on his ass. So, he had woken his ass up before Merle and his father got up and headed to only clothing store in town and was planning on using some of the money he had earned in the summer fixing up cars.

It didn't help that everyone there was giving him odd looks. Jesus, he couldn't buy a fucking pair of pants now? Clutching the two pair of pants he had picked out closer, he shuffled forward in line; it was getting closer and closer to his turn.

Why the hell was it so busy on a Sunday morning?

He was so glad that Carol wasn't with him, they'd still be looking through the racks and she'd probably push him into the dressing rooms on many occasions. He would have most likely left with more clothes than just two pairs of pants.

Finally, he reached the register and placed the clothing on the counter. A well-manicured hand took the tags to scan them and he froze when he recognized the girl behind the scanner.

Angelica. One of Jessica's friends. She was known to have a strong dislike for the Dixons. It didn't help that Merle had beat the shit out of her older brother last year. Merle had even done some time for it.

"Oh, look what the squirrel dragged in." She sneered, picking up the pants with her forefinger and thumb and quickly threw them in a bag, acting as if they were diseased. "I didn't even know you wore normal clothes. I thought everything you wore was made out of deer skin or some shit like that."

Some of the people behind him started to snicker. He felt his face began to grow warm and quickly shoved the money at her and took his bag. He couldn't get out of there fast enough.

"Good riddance, Dixon!" She called after him, causing even more people in line to laugh.

He was never going fucking shopping again!  
\-------------------------------------

Carol and her father had just returned from church to find Jessica sitting on their front porch. She looked like she was crying.

"Isn't that Jessica?" her dad asked, turning in his seat to face her. "I haven't seen her over here in awhile. I thought you guys weren't friends anymore."

"We're not." Stepping out of the car, she made her way to the sobbing girl, while he stood by the car and watched as his daughter approached the girl, unsure if it was safe to pass them.

With a slam of the car door, he opted to go around the back and go through the back door.

"I'll start lunch, honey." He called as he walked out of sight, not waiting for his daughter to answer.

Carol approached Jessica cautiously, like she was approaching a cornered animal. "Jessica?" She said tentatively.

The girl didn't even look up, her shoulders shaking harder with her sobs.

"Jessica?" She tried again. "Are you okay?" Clearly, she wasn't it but she figured it was a safe thing to ask.

Jessica looked up at her then, eyes red and puffy; the tears had smudged her makeup and mascara was running down her cheeks as well. She looked a mess.

"Oh, Carol!" She grabbed Carol's arm and pulled her to a sitting postion next to her and buried her face in her shoulder.

All Carol could do was pat her shoulder awkwardly and wait for to speak, which she hoped was soon because she was starting to feel her tears soak through her good Sunday blouse.

"Ed broke up with me!" She finally wailed. "He told me we were better off being friends!" She started to wipe her eyes and looked at Carol, the mascara smudges around her eyes now worse because of her fingers.

"I'm sorry, Jessica." She really was, even though she didn't know why she was so broken up about Ed when they hadn't even dated for a week.

Was Ed really something special?

"I know we haven't been friends for a long time." She continued. "But I needed someone to talk to you and you were always a great listener. Also, Angelica is at work right now, but I don't want to talk to her about it because I know she wants Ed for herself."

Carol remained silent.

"All the girls in our class wanted to date Ed and I felt so lucky when he chose me out of all the other girls." She smiled, lost in a memory. "Everyone was jealous." She turned to her. "Except you. You're probably the smartest person I know, Carol. I should have seen that Ed was a jerk!" She had gone from sad to anger.

Carol figured that was the typical cycle of a break-up, never having a boyfriend to know for sure.

Jessica leaned her head on her shoulder, still finding comfort in her. "You know, Carol, you're lucky to have someone like Daryl."  
\--------------------------------  
Jessica's words ran through her mind the rest of that day. What had she meant when said 'someone like Daryl'. Did she mean as a friend? Or something more? She didn't even think Jessica liked Daryl.

She tried to push the words to the back of her mind as she sat back to enjoy the rest of her day with her dad.  
\---------------------------------

Daryl was walking to his locker the next morning when he felt someone tug on one of the belt loops of his green cargo pants.

His new green cargo pants.

And with having experience of things being ripped off when someone tugged on them, he turned around ready to curse at whoever it was and was surprised to see that it was Carol standing there.

Of course, it was Carol. She was the only one to ever get near enough to touch him; she was the only one he let get close enough to him.

Anyone else would have gotten their ass stomped.

"So, I see you went shopping without me, Dixon?" Leaning against the locker next to his, she crossed her arms over chest and tried to glare at him.

"Didn't want to be there for hours," he huffed, opening his locker and cringing when it swung open and hit the locker next to him with a clang.

"We wouldn't have been there for hours!" She cried. "Maybe an hour or hour and a half at the most, but certainly not hours."

He grabbed his science book and slammed the door shut. "I was in and out in ten minutes, woman. That sounds a helluva lot better than an hour." He began to walk in the direction of his next class, knowing she would fall in step beside him.

"Well, you still owe me a shopping trip!"

"What?!" He nearly stopped in his tracks. "And what exactly would I be doin' if I went shoppin' with ya, besides wantin' to shoot myself in the foot with my crossbow."

"Hey!" She slapped his elbow. "You would be helping me decide which outfits I looked good in so I could buy them."

Much help he would have been then, he would have probably told her to buy the whole damn store because he knew she would have looked good in everything she tried on.

Jesus, he needed to get his mind of her and trying on clothes or... wearing no clothes at all. He shook his head violently then, hoping that image would be shaken away.

He never thought about Carol like that.

"Daryl." Her voice pulled her out of his thoughts, thankfully.

"Yeah?" He turned to her, hoping his face wasn't flushed with the embarrassment he was feeling.

"We just passed your class."

"Oh, um...opps."

They stopped in the hall and moved to turn around, but Carol stopped him by stepping closer and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Is everything alright, Daryl? You've been acting...strange, lately? Is it because of Merle?"

No, it's because of you.

"I'm fine, jus' tired." That wasn't a lie. "Merle and pa got into it last night and I couldn't sleep with all that hollerin'." That, too, wasn't a lie either.

"Oh, okay then." She looked like she didn't believe him. "Well, I should head to class now. See you at lunch?"

He nodded. " 'Kay." Then disappeared into his science class, hoping whatever his teacher taught that day would get his mind off of his best friend.

He seriously doubted it.  
\----------------------

Carol watched him walk into his class and couldn't help but notice how good he wore those pants.

He filled them out nicely.

Very nicely.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's going to be a surprise addition to this story. I hope you all like it!

Chapter 10

Pushing up his glasses farther up on the bridge of his nose, Milton Mamet glanced around at his other classmates. The noise level had steadily increased each minute their teacher was late. He really didn't mind the noise and instead, found himself reciting the periodic table in his head. He did that when he was bored and seeing as no one in the classroom ever talked to him, he did it quite often.

He didn't have any friends and was often ridiculed for his intelligence and love for the sciences. It wasn't his fault that he enjoyed reading a book more than he liked to 'hang out', well he figured he would like reading more even if he had friends to hang out with.

His thoughts went elsewhere when his table was jostled and his tablemate took his seat. He knew his name was Daryl, but never had gotten up the nerve to actually say anything to him. He always looked angry and it kind of scared him sometimes; he often prayed that no anger would be directed to him.

Today, though, he didn't look angry. He looked...embarrassed. His cheeks were flushed a deep red and he was keeping his head down.

"Are you okay?" Milton asked before he could stop the words from leaving his mouth. Now, he was gulping, hoping that Daryl wouldn't turn and beat him to a pulp.

It was bad enough that Ed Peletier had made him his new victim.

"Wha'?" Daryl squinted at him, like he couldn't believe that he had actually spoken.

"Um. I-I asked i-if you were alright." God, he was such a wuss. No wonder he would find himself at the butt of countless jokes.

Daryl looked away from him and placed his forearms on the desk. "Fine." He mumbled.

Luckily, their science teacher decided to walk in then and started class.  
\----------------------------------------------

Daryl couldn't help but sneak glances at his bespectacled table-mate with slight confusion. No one outside of Carol had ever asked if he was okay and the way he seemed to sometimes visibly shake around him gave him the impression that he was scared of him.

He knew he would never hurt the guy. He saw how he would sit by himself at lunch and Daryl would go back to the time where he had done the same thing. All those school years before Carol pushed herself into his life.

His head jerked up when he heard chairs scrapping against the floor and other students got up to move around. Class wasn't over and he briefly wondered what the hell he had missed.

"They're picking partners." Milton offered, somehow knowing that was why he looked so confused.

"Oh." He turned in his stool. "Ya wanna be partners, then?"

Milton blinked in surprise. No ever wanted to be his partner in anything and if they did, they would only do it because they knew they would get a good grade; half the time he did all the work anyway.

For some reason, he didn't think that was the reason Daryl was asking him now.

Pushing up his glasses again, he smiled. "Sure."  
\------------------------------------------------

After class, Daryl made his way back to his locker to drop off the heavy science book and then he would be off to find Carol for lunch. He didn't have to go far, because she was already at his locker waiting for him.

She smiled at he got closer. "How come you don't give me your locker combination?"

Daryl smirked at her. "Cuz I don't want ya goin' through my shit."

"What do you have in there anyway?" She tried peering over his shoulder, but he quickly slammed the door shut; he did it just to annoy her.

She huffed and placed a hand on her hip. "Don't tell me you have your crossbow in there?"

"I should." He grunted. "'Specially when ya start gettin' too nosy for ya own good and I have to shoot ya in the ass."

"Watch it, Dixon." She pointed a finger in his face. "I bring you your lunch everyday and I can easily spit in your sandwich without you knowing it!"  
\-------------------------------------------------------

They found a table outside in the courtyard and they proceeded to sit down. Carol dumped out the contents of her paper bag, like she did every day, and split it between the two.

Daryl took a bite out of his ham sandwich and peered over her shoulder at someone behind her.

She turned around, eyes searching for what he was looking at. "Is there something wrong?" She asked, turning around to face him.

"Ya see that kid over there?" He gestured to a table like their own, except there was only person sitting at it.

"Milton?" She questioned.

"Ya know him?"

"Yeah. We had a class once. He seems really nice, just kind of quiet." Looking back at him, her brow furrowed. "What about him?"

"He's in my science class. He's pretty smart." His attention went back to his sandwich. "It's a shame he has to sit by himself."

"I can go over there and ask him if he wants to sit with us, if you want?"

He shrugged. "Do whatever ya want." He took a bite out of his sandwich and didn't look at her, knowing that if got a good look at his face she would know that he really wanted her to ask Milton to sit with them.

No one deserved to sit alone. It sucked.  
\------------------------------------------------

Milton sat down awkwardly next to Carol, a few minutes later.

"Hey." Daryl mumbled.

He adjusted his glasses before saying hi back. He seemed nervous and unsure of himself. Never had he eaten lunch with any of his peers before and he didn't know what the proper protocol was.

Carol slid something over to him with a smile. "Do you want a banana pudding?"  
\------------------------------------------

It had only taken them a few minutes, but soon they had started to engage in a conversation. Well, Milton and Carol did and Daryl just watched the two. It had taken him awhile to open up to Carol and it was probably going to be the same way with Milton.

He seemed nice enough. A little strange with the proper way he talked, but otherwise he hadn't found anything wrong with him.

Carol's laughter peeled him out of his thoughts and he looked up to find Milton smiling slightly to himself, cheeks flushed and looking down at his now empty-pudding cup.

Daryl could tell that Milton liked the idea of actually having someone laugh with him and not _at_ him.  
\-----------------------------------------

Carol was enjoying her conversation with Milton and was glad that she had asked him to sit with them. It had been all Daryl's idea, even if he had never come right out and said the words.

She could tell that he saw himself a little bit in Milton. The outcast. The boy no one wanted to talk to. She was glad that he had wanted to reach out to someone, so they wouldn't go through what he had when he was younger.

Their conversation was interrupted when she heard footsteps approach behind her. She turned and was surprised to see Ed smiling down at her. Milton seemed to tense beside her and she could hear Daryl's jaw clench.

"Hey, Carol." He said eyes only on her.

"Hi." She smiled back. "What's up?"

"Well, I couldn't help but notice that you were sitting alone and I wanted to know if you wanted to sit with my friends and I?"

Instantly her smile faded. What did he mean she was sitting by herself? Did he not see Milton and Daryl right there?

Oh.

Then it dawned on her. He was one of those guys. He was one of those guys that thought he was better than everyone and that no one that was different than him mattered. Jessica was right. Ed was a jerk.

And to think she thought he was nice.

"No, thank you." She turned her back on him. "I'd much rather sit with my friends."

Ed snorted. "These are your friends? This dork and that piece of redneck trash?"

The last part did it for her. No one talked about Daryl like that. No one. She stood up so fast she jostled the table.

"Go away," she hissed, facing him. "I don't ever want you anywhere near me again. Daryl has thought me a few things and I'm pretty sure I can lay your ass on the ground, if you do." She shoved him. "So, don't you even think about coming near me again."

Ed peered over her shoulder and locked eyes with Daryl. "You're going to let your woman talk to me like that, hick?"

Daryl leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. "Hell yes."

"Whatever." Ed slid his eyes back to her, anger radiating off him. "Your loss, babe." And he stomped off.

Daryl couldn't help but smirk at his retreating form.


	11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter 11

"You know, that was a nice thing you did for Milton today, Daryl." Carol brought up while they sat in his truck, in her driveway.

"I didn't do nothin'. You were the one to ask him to sit wit' us." He rested his arms on the steering wheel and looked at her.

She fixed him with 'Are you serious right now?' look. "You were the one who pointed him out to me." She shook her head. "I can't believe we're arguing about this right now."

"Hell, woman, it ain't a proper conversation unless we start arguin'." He winked at her, something he never thought he would do in his life. Especially at Carol.

Blushing slightly, she quickly looked away from him and something in the back of their seats caught her attention. She grabbed his crossbow and brought it into her lap, smiling.

"Hey, watch it!"

Carol scowled at him. "It isn't even loaded!"

"Ya can't be too careful with ya." He turned his body more, so that he was facing her. His knee was on the seat beside him and was almost brushing against her thigh.

"I almost hit you just that once!" She pouted. "And you were the one who thought it'd be funny to sneak up on me!"

He smirked at the memory. It was worth almost getting an arrow in the face to hear her shriek like that. She had vowed to get him back, but she had yet been able to sneak up on him.

Suddenly, she swung the crossbow around and aimed it out the open window and towards Jessica's house. "Too bad Ed and Jessica broke up, because he would have been over there right now and I could have shot him in the ass!"

He snorted. "Like ya could hit the broad side of a barn, let alone his ass."

"Hey!" Her head whipped around to face him. "What's that say about you? You're the one who's been teaching me to shoot this thing!" She turned back to the open window; bringing the crossbow close to her face so she could look down the scope.

He shrugged. "I guess some people are jus' unteachable."

"Ugh!" She reached back and slapped him on the thigh, her land lingering a little longer than it should have.

Daryl jerked in his seat when her hand came close to... He slid his leg off the seat, faced the windshield, and tried to think about cold things.

Snow.

Ice.

Blue.

Carol's eyes.

"Dammit!" He hissed, placing his forehead on the steering wheel, both of them jumping when his forehead hit the horn.

"What the hell, Daryl?" She turned and looked at him, her brow furrowed. "You're lucky this thing wasn't loaded. I would have probably shot an arrow through one of Jessica's windows!"

"Sorry," he mumbled, keeping his head down. There was no way he was going to look at her while he still had his 'problem' to take care of.

Why was this happening to him now? They had been friends for years and now he was suddenly being hit with all these feelings. It felt like being hit by a semi-truck.

"Well, I should go." She had turned and gingerly placed his crossbow back where she had found it. "I have tons of math homework to do. You should stay and help me with it."

Hell no. Definitely not now. "Uh...I have things to do at home."

"What kind of things?" She asked innocently.

He chewed on his thumbnail. "Um...stuff."

Like taking a cold shower for one.

"Alright then." She looked at him oddly. "So, later then? Maybe?"

He nodded quickly then and started the car, hoping that would make her move a little faster to get out of the vehicle. The last thing he needed was for her to admire his new pants again. She would definitely notice something there that hadn't been there before.

The moment she walked through her front door he got the fuck out of there.  
\---------------------------------------------

Two hours later, he was back at her doorstep, knocking on her door.

She opened it with a smile. "About time you got here. I was just about to tear my hair out trying to figure out those stupid equations." She noticed his still wet hair. "You didn't have to take a shower before coming over. I didn't think you smelled that bad."

He followed her inside and muttered under his breath. "Hell yeah, I had too."  
\----------------------------------------------

Today was already starting off crappy.

He had gotten into his truck that morning, already running late, to find that it wouldn't start. He had slammed his fists against the steering wheel a couple times and kicked the front tire, but it still wouldn't start.

So, he had slinked back into the house and asked Merle if he could take his bike to school. Instead of laughing at him and telling him he should just fuck school, he threw his keys at Daryl and told him if he fucked up anything on it then he was going to kick his ass.

Daryl liked driving the motorcycle, had been infinitely jealous when Merle had bought it. There were days where his brother would let him drive it and others where he would cuff him in the back of the head for just looking at it.

He drove into the school parking lot, glad there was no one milling about, and quickly parked the bike and made his way to the doors.  
\-----------------------------------  
Another sign of the bad day he was having was getting back his English test and saw that he had gotten a D on it. Maybe he should have asked Carol for help, but he really thought he could understand Romeo and Juliet on his own.

Well, so much for that.

Then, while on his way to science class, Carol hadn't joined him and Ed had appeared out of nowhere and slammed into his shoulder.

"Watch where you're going, hillbilly!" he had called after him as he continued to walk away with two of his friends.

It took everything in him to not run after him and pummel his face into the ground. But he had gone four years without getting into a fight and he didn't want to be kicked out of school for it.

Besides, the prick wasn't worth it.

So, when he walked into science he was obviously pissed and he took his seat with a huff. If Milton didn't already look scared, he probably would have kicked his stool a couple of times. Maybe even flip the table.

"Are you okay?" Milton asked, inching away from him slightly. Probably afraid that he would lash out on him.

"Fine." He mumbled, briefly remembering almost the same conversation they had yesterday.

"It was Ed, wasn't it?"

Daryl just looked over at him.

"I-I saw him run into you in the hallway." He fiddled with his fingers and didn't look at him.

"Ed's an ass." He mumbled.

"Don't I know it. The first day he was here, he tried to shove me in my locker. I could have told him that no matter how hard he tried my body wasn't going to fit. He didn't listen to me of course."

Daryl's fists clenched. He may have said that Ed wasn't worth it, but something had to be done about him shoving Milton into a locker. Lord have mercy on him if he ever witnessed it happening himself.

"I also saw him talking to Carol this morning."

"What?" He turned on him and growled. A few of the other students turned and looked at him oddly.

"Um, yeah." He pushed up his glasses. "She didn't look too happy to be talking to him, but I wasn't close enough to hear what was being said."

Daryl focused back to the front of the classroom. He was going to ask Carol what the hell Ed wanted. If he had so much as looked at her the wrong way or said something that hurt her feelings, he was going to kill him.  
\--------------------------------------------------  
Daryl hadn't wanted to bring up the subject of Ed at lunchtime, especially with Milton there. He deserved to actually have a conversation with someone without mentioning his bully. So he met her at her locker and waited until she looked at him to say anything.

"What did Ed say to ya?"

She seemed surprised by how direct he was being. "He just wanted to say sorry for what he said to you guys yesterday. He told me he wanted to be friends."

"And what did ya say to tha'?"

She slammed her locker closed. "Hell no. And then I walked away." She smirked and fell into step beside him as they made their way to the parking lot. "I don't think he liked that very much."

"Well, he can go fuck hisself and if he ever messes with ya, ya best let me know, a'right?"

Carol stopped in her tracks, arms crossed over her chest and she glared at him. "You don't think I can't handle him?"

"Naw, I do. Remember I'm the one who taught ya to kick ass, but I want to be the one to beat his face in. Plus, he bullies Milton too and I figured I'd beat his ass for him too."

"Aww." She poked his arm. "Have you and Milton become friends?"

"Shut up." He grumbled.

"What? He's nice and funny. I like him."

"So, ya two are friends?"

"Yep!" She smiled.

"Good. Ya need more friends, Carol." He said, sincerely.

"Hey! What are you saying?" Her arms were crossed again and now she was scowling at him.

"I'm jus' saying, it must get tirin' to only have me to talk to." He refused to look at her and instead opted to look at his scoffed boots.

She slipped an arm through his. "You're all the friend a girl can need, Daryl Dixon!"

He gave her a tiny smile and pulled her a little closer, loving the feel of her body beside his.

"Hey, guys!"

They both turned around to find Milton waving at them. Carol detangled herself from him and he mourned the loss immediately. He really needed to stop thinking like that before he went insane.

"Where's your glasses, Milton?" Her voice became concerned.

"Oh!" Stopping in front of them, he dug into his pockets and took out his glasses, the lenses were smashed and the frames bent. "Here they are."

"Wha' happened? Did ya step on them?" Daryl asked.

"No." He stuffed the ruined glasses back into his pockets and shot Daryl a meaningful glance. "I didn't step on them. Ed did."

"That mother fucker!" Daryl yelled. "Who the fuck does he think he is? I'm gonna fuckin' kill him!"

Carol placed a placating hand on his shoulder. "We can kill him later." Then she turned to Milton. "How are you going to drive home without your glasses?"

"No worries." He shrugged. "I'm always prepared for things like this to happen. I have an extra pair in my car."

The trio started to walk to the parking lot and that's when Daryl remembered that he had driven the motorcycle. Fuck. He couldn't take Carol home today.

"Hey, Milton. Do ya think ya can give Carol a ride home?"

"Huh? Is there something wrong?" Carol asked before Milton could speak.

"Had to drive Merle's bike because my piece of shit truck wouldn't start this morning. So, maybe you can go with Milton." He looked past her and at Milton. "You'll give her a ride, right?"

Milton nodded.

"Uh-uh," she shook her head. "There's no way I'm passing up the chance to ride on a motorcycle."

"It ain't safe!" Daryl protested.

"He's right, Carol." Milton piped up. "More people die in motorcycle crashes than other types of vehicles. You'll be safer if you rode with me."

"Nope." She put her foot down. "I'm going with Daryl. He'll keep me safe."

When Daryl saw that she wasn't going to budge until he told her yes, he shook his head. "Stubborn bitch." He sent a small smile her way, letting her know that he didn't mean it.

"Alright then, guys. Be safe. It would be a shame to finally get some friends and then have them die in a fiery motorcycle crash." And before either of them to could respond to that, he was gone, heading for his car.  
\--------------------------------------------  
Her arms felt so good wrapped around his waist, her body felt amazing pressed against his and he knew if he turned his head slightly to the right, her lips would brush his ear.

The truck incident came rushing back to him and he knew he better stop thinking about her like that if he didn't want to have to take another cold shower.

Merle had grown suspicious when he had walked out of the bathroom shivering.

That's it. Think of Merle. Or better yet, think of Ed. A slow smile spread across his face as he started to think about all the ways he could kick his ass.

Would kick his ass, if he so much as looked at Carol or talked to her again.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Pulling into Carol's driveway, Daryl felt both disappointment and relief flood through him. Disappointment because Carol's body would no longer be pressed against his and relief because he was staring to run out of ways to kick Ed's ass and his thoughts had began to stray to her.

He didn't need another truck incident. Taking one cold shower was enough for him.

He parked the bike, kicked down the kickstand and waited for Carol to untangle herself from him. Her legs seemed shaky and she stumbled slightly when she tried to take her first step; Daryl grabbed her arm before she fell.

"Thanks." She smiled. "I guess I'm not use to riding one of these."

Daryl remained sitting and leaned forward slightly on the handlebars. "An' ya prob'bly never will. I doubt Merle will let me ride it again."

He was going to mourn it. Not so much the fact of driving the thing, but because driving the motorcycle with Carol was the perfect excuse to have her body so close to his.

"That's a shame." She poked him in the arm, smirk in place. "Because you looked real badass riding it."

"Pfft." He snorted. "I always look badass, woman."

Tired of standing, she sat down on her driveway and looked up at him. "Whatver you say." She winked. "So, what do you plan on doing today?"

"Well," He swung a leg over the bike and sat so his arms rested on his knees and he looked down at her. "I gotta fix my fuckin' truck. Merle ain't gonna let me borrow his bike tomorrow."

"Sounds interesting." She crossed her legs and placed her chin in her hand. "Can I come over?"

"Wha'?"

"You heard me." She wasn't looking at him and instead was picking at her shoelace.

"Why the hell do ya wanna come over to my house?" He really didn't understand it. She had been over once, years ago. They hadn't even gone inside. He was too embarrassed to show her the shit-hole he lived in. She didn't seem to mind that they spent all of their time outside walking through the woods and when Merle began to stir from his nap on the couch, Daryl had decided it was time to leave.

She shrugged. "It's boring at my house." She looked up at him, hopeful. "I can help you fix your truck."

"The fuck you know about fixing cars?" Did she have a secret talent he didn't know about?

"Um, nothing." She stood up; hoping that standing face-to-face with him would help plead her case. "But I can, like, help pass you tools and stuff."

Maybe she could wipe the sweat off his brow or help him unbutton his shirt if it got to hot...

He snapped his head to the side, cursing his brain for putting those images in his head. God, she was going to be the death of him.

Fuck, she was looking at him with her doe eyes. She rarely gave him that look, saving it for occasions like this. And he always fell for it. Always.

"Fine." He mumbled, giving in to her. "Let me call Merle and see if my Pa is home." He stood up from his bike, making sure he didn't knock the thing over and followed Carol inside.

He liked the fact that she didn't ask why he had to make sure his daddy wasn't home. She already knew why and not once had she judged him for it.  
\---------------------------------------------

Five minutes later, Carol found herself on the back of the motorcycle, arms wrapped around Daryl's waist. One of her fingers had slid through the gaps of his button-up shirt and she felt his stomach muscles tense at her touch. She quickly withdrew her hand, glad that he couldn't see her flaming cheeks.

The wind was blowing her hair everywhere and she burrowed her face into his shoulder to shield her face from the stinging strands.

He tensed.

Furrowing her brow, she withdrew slightly. What was wrong? Within seconds, he had relaxed again and she resumed her spot on his shoulder. A strand of her hair flew into her mouth and she went to unwind one of her arms from his waist, so she could move it. She was surprised when he took one hand off the handlebars and grabbed her wrist.

"Don't let go!" He shouted over the roar. "I ain't scrapping you off the street!" He firmly placed her hand back in its previous spot.

She huffed in irritation. She should have put her hair in a ponytail.  
\-----------------------------------------------

The moment Daryl pulled into his own driveway and cut the engine, Merle was walking out the front door and headed straight for them. He had to suppress a groan.

"Well, little brother, I thought ya was jus' pullin' my leg when ya said you was bringin' over your pretty little friend." His eyes slid over to Carol, who had just stepped off the bike. Instantly Daryl knew that it had been a bad idea to bring her here

"Hello, darlin'." Merle took a step towards her.

Crossing her arms over her chest, where Merle's eyes had been, she glared at him. "Hello, Merle."

Daryl swung his leg over the bike and was now standing in the middle of them, but he might as well have been standing a mile away as far as Merle was concerned.

"So, ya finally found out ya couldn't resist ol' Merle, huh?" He stepped back and leaned against Daryl's truck. "I got myself a room inside if ya want to take a look. I've been told I got the comfiest bed this side of Georgia, wanna test it out?"

"Merle!" Daryl hissed, growing angry.

"Wha', bro? If ya ain't gonna hit that someone might as well. Her ass is too pretty to waste."

Daryl felt his face begin to grow red and didn't even look over at Carol to see if she had heard. So, he grabbed Merle's hand and slammed his keys in it. "Here's ya fuckin' keys. I'm goin' to the shed."

He didn't look behind him to see if Carol was following him, but an extra set of footsteps alerted him that she was.

He slowed down his pace and waited for her to catch up with him.

"Sorry about tha'." He muttered, refusing to look at her still. "I shoulda made sure he wasn't home, either."

"It's alright, Daryl." She placed a hand on his arm. "He's harmless anyways."

Yeah, maybe when he was sober.  
\----------------------------------------

"So, is this the thingy you need?" Carol made a face as she held up a wrench. "Or is it this?" She help up another tool in her other hand.

Daryl rolled his eyes and grabbed the wrench. "I prob'bly could have gotten this done an hour ago, if I didn't hafta wait for you to find the damn tools!" His head disappeared in the engine.

"Hey!" She protested, hand going to her hip. "I wouldn't have a problem finding the damn things if you had told me what each one was!"

His head reappeared, grease streaked on one of cheeks. "I did!" He scowled. "It ain't my fault you were watchin' fuckin' butterflies!"

"Hey!" She crossed her arms, huffed and put her head down in defeat. "I like butterflies."

Ten minutes later, Daryl found himself in his driver's seat and turning the key in the engine. The first try didn't go so well, but on the second, his truck roared to life. He couldn't suppress a smile.

He rolled down the passenger's side window and yelled, "Get in! It's time to take ya ass home!" He didn't know when his pa would be home and it could be soon. There was no way in hell he wanted Carol to still be here when his daddy decided to pull in.

She only nodded and climbed into her usual spot. "You know, I still haven't been inside your house."

Turning his head to look out the back window as he backed up, he answered her. "Ya don't wanna go in there. Merle's got his shit spread out everywhere and my Pa leaves empty beer bottles all over the floor."

The only place in the house he would want to show her would be his room and not for reasons she'd probably want to hear.

Christ, he was becoming just as bad as Merle.  
\--------------------------------------

He had just let her out of his truck and was about to back up out of her driveway, when she tapped on his window.

He rolled it down. "Wha' ya want now?" He tried to sound stern, but felt the corner of his mouth lift slightly.

"I almost forgot to tell you. My dad is off on Thursday and he's taking me to the city for dinner. He said I should ask you to come along. So, do you wanna?"

He snorted. Did he look like the kind of person to go to the city and eat in a fancy restaurant? Hell no.

"Naw, Merle would prob'bly give me hell if he found out." He winced at the excuse that came automatically to his mouth. He didn't even have to think about it. He had used Merle as an excuse plenty of times before.

Disappointment flickered across her face. "Fine then. I guess, I can ask Milton if he wants to come instead. I'm sure he'd be happy to."

Daryl gripped the steering wheel tightly when a wave of jealousy washed through him. She'd rather have Milton go with her, instead of him? Her best friend.

"I'll go." He grumbled.

"Oh," She looked surprised that he changed his mind. "What about Merle?"

"Fuck 'em."

"Um, okay! I'll tell you more about it tomorrow. Bye!" She waved and walked away from his truck.

Fuck. What had he gotten himself into? Eating dinner with her dad at a nice restaurant? How was he going to face the man, especially now with the recent thoughts he'd been having about his daughter?

He was so fucked.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Thursday arrived quickly, Daryl found himself sitting in science class, Milton on his right; who was actually paying attention, jotting notes down, and head tilted slightly as he listened to the teacher speak.

Daryl was doing the opposite. The table in front of him was bare and his eyes were looking out the windows to his left, his mind not on science at all. Instead, it was on Carol, she never strayed very far from it these days.

What the fuck had he been thinking when he had agreed to go to dinner with Carol and her dad? Maybe it was the thought of her asking Milton that blinded him to the fact that the whole dinner was probably going to be a huge disaster with him there.

"Fuck." He didn't know he had said that aloud until Milton gently nudged him in the side.

"Daryl, is everything okay?"

He turned to him and nodded. "Everything's fine."

"All right." He didn't look convinced and he searched his face, before his eyes skirted back to the piece of paper in front of him. "Do you want to see my notes?"

"Naw." He shook his head. "I'm good. Thanks, though."

Milton only nodded and turned his attention back to the teacher, while Daryl turned his attention back out the window.  
\---------------------------------------------  
"So, is this because of the date you and Carol are going on?" Milton asked the moment they walked out of class together.

"Wha'?!" He turned to him sharply, causing Milton to take a step back. He noticed that he had frightened him. " 'm sorry." He mumbled. "Wha' ya say?"

Milton eased up and fell back in step with him. "Carol told me that you and her were going to dinner tonight. So, I was wondering if that was the reason why you seem so out of it."

"It ain't a date." He bit out, harsher than he intended. "She jus' invited me to dinner with her and her dad. That's all."

"Oh." Milton adjusted his glasses. "Well, um, that should be...fun."

Fuck. Even Milton could tell that this had all been a bad idea.  
\----------------------------------------------  
Dressed in his good pair of jeans and a dark blue plaid shirt with long sleeves, Daryl took a deep breath and hoped that Merle wasn't in his normal spot on the couch.

Opening his door slowly, he peeked around it and looked into the living room. No Merle in sight. So, he took a deep breath and headed for the front door, keys clutched in his hand so that wouldn't make any noise as he walked.

"Where ya goin', little brother?"

He froze.

Then he took a deep breath and turned to face his older brother, who stood in the doorway of the kitchen with a beer in his hand and elbow leaning against the doorframe.

" 'm goin' out." He mumbled, hoping that was enough of an answer for him. But he knew it wasn't.

"Out where?" Merle made his way across the room, sank into his cushion on the couch, and took a swig of his beer before he looked up at him.

"Wit' Carol."

"Shit, you finally takin' her out on a date?! Jus' say the word, baby bro, and I can make myself scarce later tonight." He waggled his eyebrows. "If ya know what I mean."

Daryl groaned. This was why he never told Merle anything. He always knew how to turn it all around and embarrass him.

"It ain't a date." He growled. Why the fuck did everyone think it was a date? "Carol jus' wanted me to come along and eat supper wit' her and her pa."

Merle slapped his leg in amusement. "So, she's already gettin' ya to meet her daddy, huh? Well, little brother, I think ya should get the hell outta there while ya still can!"

"Fuck you, Merle. It ain't like that. 'Sides I've met her dad plenty of times."

"Yeah, but I bet ya haven't been in the same room as the man since you've started thinkin' about fuckin' her."

Daryl winced at the vulgarity of it.

"I bet ya thought I didn't know that." He leaned back on the couch and put his feet on the table in front him, big toe sticking out of a hole in his socks. "I was sittin' right here when ya burst in here like a bat outta hell and headed straight for that shower. Ya can't forget that I've been there, bro."

He felt his face grow hot at the memory. Jesus Christ, was nothin' goin' to be a secret around here? And fuck, Merle was going to have a field day with that bit of information.

He briefly wondered if he would be able to spend the rest of his life living in the woods.

"Well, fuck, Darylina, you got somewhere ya have ta be? I know I'm one good lookin' mother fucker, but stop fuckin' staring at me and get ya ass outta here!"

That was all he needed to finally hightail it out of there, glad to get out of his older brother's presence. He hoped to God that Merle was passed out when he got home. He didn't think he would like the questions he would surely have for him.  
\------------------------------------------------------  
Daryl pulled into her driveway fifteen minutes later. Chewing on his thumbnail, he briefly wondered if it was too late to tell her he couldn't come. Maybe he could just leave now and call her later to say he was sick.

Shit. He was going to be sick for real if he didn't stop freaking out and thinking of all the ways this night could go wrong.

It wasn't like this would be the first time he met her dad. There had been a couple times, after he would drop off Carol from school, where her dad had actually been home and usually Carol would invite him in and they would all share a glass of lemonade.

He liked the man, he really did, and he hoped the man felt the same way about him too. Not many people liked him and he could care less most of the time, but for some reason this man's opinion of him really mattered.

Maybe it was because he was in love with his daughter.  
\-----------------------------------------------------  
He sat in his truck for a few more minutes, mentally preparing himself. When he finally thought himself prepared enough he opened the door to his truck and stepped out, just as Carol's front door and Carol herself came walking out to meet him.

He groaned at the sight of her as she approached him.

Carol never dressed up. She usually just wore jeans and a different color top to school, sometimes she would wear a closer fitting top or maybe one that had a flowery design but those were rare.

Tonight she was wearing a tight black shirt that dipped low and showed some cleavage and a white skirt that rested several inches above her knees. She stopped in front of him and smirked, her eyes sparkling.

"Well, you clean up nicely, Dixon." She linked her arm through his and they made there way to where her father was waiting in the car.

Dear Lord, how was he going to sit by her at the restaurant with her dad right there? He should have let her take fucking Milton.  
\-----------------------------------------------------  
 _Don't spill the water on ya lap, dumbass!_

_For Christ's sake, don' look down Carol's shirt!_

_Fuckin' chew before ya swallow!_

_Pass her dad the salt and actually make eye contact, dammit!_

_Don't look down Carol's shirt!_

_Stop fidgetin'. Ya look like a fuckin' crack addict!_

_Ignore her leg brushin' yours._

_Did her hand jus' touch my thigh? Fuck._

God, he was going to go fucking insane with all these thoughts continuously running through his mind. He stood up abruptly, shaking the table slightly. Carol and her dad stopped in mid-conversation to look at him.

"I gotta p-, I gotta use the bathroom." And he retreated to the sanctuary of the men's bathroom.

Rolling up his sleeves, he turned on the sink and splashed cold water on his face. It helped clear the thoughts from his mind and he couldn't help but splash himself a few more times to make sure they stayed away.

So far, the night had gone well. He had actually kept up with the conversation, but when their food arrived all conversation stopped and his mind began to wonder. That's when he found himself getting fidgety and once he had almost knocked his water into his lap.

That would have been fan-fuckin'-tastic.

Staring at himself in the mirror, he debated on staying there for the duration of the night, but he knew Carol wasn't above coming into the men's bathroom to drag his ass out. So with one last splash of cold water, he wiped his face on his sleeve and headed back to their table.

Sitting there for the rest of the night only one thought remained.

_For fuck's sake, Dixon, don' look down her shirt!_  
\--------------------------------------------  
He was never as happy to see his piece of shit truck as he was the moment they had pulled back into Carol's driveway. All he wanted to do now was bolt out of the car and hop in his truck and get the fuck out of there, but he knew Carol wouldn't be too happy about that.

So, he thanked her dad for the meal and hid a groan when he told them that he was going inside to leave them to talk.

Now, it was just him and her. Him, her and that tight as hell black top.

She nudged him playfully. "So, are you going to kiss me?"

"Wha'?!" He had never jumped back so fast in his life.

She rolled her eyes, smile still on her lips. "I was just joking, Daryl. Calm down."

"Didn't feel like a fuckin' joke." He muttered and looked down at his shoes. There was no way he could look her in the eyes after that.

"Well, thanks for coming. I had fun."

He peeked at her through the fringe of his bangs. "Yer welcome. But next time I think Milton would have been the better choice. I bet he could have talked ya dad's ear off wit' science and shit."

She chuckled at that. "Yeah, he probably would have. But I would have liked having you there more." Her cheeks instantly began to turn red. "I-I mean, you're my best friend, after all."

"Yeah, I guess you're mine too." He teased.

"What? Milton's already replaced me?" She tried to look hurt, but the corner of her mouth tugged up.

"Hell, I've been thinkin' about it. He don't sass me every chance he gets. Shit, I think he's still a little scared of me."

"I think Milton is afraid of his own shadow, sometimes. But he's a sweet guy and I'm glad we befriended him."

"Yeah." He grunted.

"Well, I should probably head in." She placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to flinch slightly at the unexpected touch and then watched as she raised up on her tiptoes, chest brushing against his arm, and planted a kiss on his cheek.

She. Kissed. Him.

Who cared if it was only on the cheek? Her lips had made contact on his skin and now his cheek was tingling.

Fuck.

"Goodnight, Daryl." She turned and left him standing there still trying to process what the fuck just happened.  
\---------------------------------------------------  
It was a miracle he had made it home without driving off the road. His cheek still tingled and he could still feel her soft lips there.

What would they feel like on his?

So distracted was he, that he didn't notice Merle still sitting on the couch watching him closely.

"So ya back. I take it ya didn't get any."

Daryl ignored him and continued to walk past him, but he felt his brother's eyes boring into his back.

He turned and faced him. "Wha' ya want?"

"Nothin'." Merle smirked. "Jus' seein' if ya headin' to the shower."

"Fuck you, Merle."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Carol placed a hand on her cheek and felt how warm it was. She didn't even want to know how red they looked and avoided her father, so he wouldn't see them. He would tease her mercilessly, especially since it had been Daryl she had been talking too.

Closing her door, she threw herself facedown on her bed. She couldn't believe she had said that to Daryl; asking him to kiss her.

Did she want him too?

No!

Yes...

No...Maybe?

Definitely yes.

Oh God, she was in so much trouble. She was starting to have feelings for her best friend.  
\------------------------------------------

The next morning, she avoided him; which pained her because she always went to see him in the morning. Milton ran into her before heading to his science class and asked if he was going to see her at lunch.

Daryl would be at lunch.

She would have to face him after asking him that and kissing him on the cheek. It was clear by the way he reacted to her question told her that he wasn't interested in her in that way. Of course not. Daryl was good-looking. She hadn't been the only girl to see it. Whenever they walked down the hall, she would notice other girls checking him out.

Not one had actually gone up and talked to him, for that Carol couldn't help but feel relieved. Those girls were much prettier than she was.

So, she had given Milton an excuse. Told him that she had a project she was working on and had to go to the library to see if they had any books on the subject. Of course, he had to offer to come along.

"If you don't go to lunch, then Daryl will be sitting all by himself. He won't admit it, but he hates that."

Milton only nodded and shifted the books he held in arms. "Well, I better head to class before I'm late. I'll see you later?"

"Of course." She smiled, only feeling a tad bit guilty about lying to him.  
\-----------------------------------------  
The first thing Daryl noticed when he sat at their usual table at lunch was that there was no Carol. In fact, he hadn't seen Carol all day. Was she even at school? It was unlike her to miss school and considering she had seemed perfectly fine last night he didn't think she was sick.

Milton took his seat across from him and must have seen the way he had been looking around the courtyard.

"Carol has a project she needed to go to the library for."

Daryl could only nod, not really knowing how to answer that.

"So, how did your date go, last night?"

He whipped his head, to glare at Milton and was shocked to see a smirk on his face. Was he already getting comfortable enough to tease him?

"It was fine." He grumbled.

"So, it was a date?" He pushed his glasses up his nose and kept the smirk on his face. "I knew it."

"Shut up." He mumbled, knowing that he was still teasing him.

Milton chuckled. "I digress." He dug in his book bag and brought out a spiral notebook and pen. "So, Mr. Barr talked to us yesterday about finding partners for our science projects and since you seemed to be out of it the whole class period, I decided that I would choose your partner for you. Me."

Daryl settled his forearms on the table. "An' what if I didn't want ya to be my partner? Did ya stop to consider that, huh?" He wore a smirk of his own.

Milton just shrugged his shoulders. "Well, looks like you're stuck with me. So, what should our topic be?" He clicked his pen open and stared at him expectantly.

"I don't know, yer the brains."

"And just because you're the brawn, doesn't mean you're dumb." He gave him a meaningful look, but didn't linger on what he had said. "I was kind of thinking that since there is a lot of foliage and patches of forest around here we could maybe do something that concerns plants."

"Sounds fine to me." It sounded great to him, actually. He was most comfortable with the outdoors and the woods in particular. "Hell, my property is practically surrounded by trees and plants."

"Good." Milton jotted down something in his notebook. "So, when would be a good time to come over? The project is due in two weeks."

"Huh?" Daryl froze. Was he serious? Milton coming over to his home. Where Merle lived?

"Yes. You said that your house was surrounded by plants, so it would clearly be the best place to start." He continued writing things down in his notebook and hadn't seen the face Daryl was giving him. "I was thinking tomorrow would be a good day, being Saturday and all. Unless you work or have family plans."

He snorted. Family plans? Ha! Saturdays mostly consisted of Merle sitting on the couch drinking or getting high and his pa would be passed out in his bed from the drinking binge he went on the night before.

"Well, is tomorrow good or not? I suppose we could do it sometime next week, but that would be cutting it close."

Daryl answered, hesitantly. "Um...yeah, sure. Tomorrow is fine, I guess." Jesus Christ, he was going to regret this.

If Merle were to come out and see the two poking around in the woods, he would have a fuckin' field day! He didn't even want to know what he would do or say to Milton.

The bell rang, then, signaling the end of lunch. Milton packed up his stuff and stood up, Daryl followed suit.

"We can talk about this after school." He said, slipping his messenger bag over his head. "I'll meet you by your locker, okay?"

Daryl nodded, and then watched as Milton walked away. His day had started off bad, when Carol hadn't been by his locker when he got to school. It was made worse when she hadn't shown up to lunch and now he was forced to think of the possibility of a meeting between Milton and his brother.

Fuck.  
\-------------------------------------------  
Carol walked out of her math class and was ready to hightail it out of there, glad that her bus was usually the first ones to leave and she had a better chance of avoiding Daryl further.

Slamming her locker shut, she turned quickly around, ready to bolt for the doors, when she ran into someone's chest.

"Oh!" She cried. "I'm so sorry!" She looked up and her heart stopped.

Daryl Dixon stood there and looked down at her, a playful smirk on his face and steadied her with a grip on her waist.

"So, how come ya ain't ever givin' me yer locker combination?" He let her go and leaned against the locker besides hers.

"You never asked." She turned and smiled at him, hoping that the smile didn't look as fake as it felt. Glancing at the wall clock above Daryl's head, she figured she had enough time to make her bus if she left now.

"Well, I have-"

"Hey, Carol." Milton walked up to them, smiling when he saw them. "We missed you at lunch. Right, Daryl?"

He nodded from his spot on the locker.

"Did you find everything you needed for your project?"

"Huh?" She blurted, not understanding what he was asking, but then remembered at the last second of the lie she had told. "Oh, yeah. I found everything I needed."

Two minutes until her bus would leave.

"Daryl and I also have a project to work on. We'll be studying different types of plants at his house tomorrow."

"What?" Her surprise briefly stopped her from thinking of the precious seconds that were wasting away and she looked back at Daryl, eyebrows raised. "Really?" She barely let him go to his house and she had known him for years.

Daryl pushed himself off the locker and stepped closer to the two. "Yeah."

"Well," she flashed them another fake smile. "That should be fun. I have-"

"Maybe afterwards, we could all go and get a bite to eat." He adjusted his glasses. "I heard the local diner has some pretty decent food. I can drive us all."

He looked so hopeful that Carol couldn't say no.

"Sure, that would be fun!" Another glance at the clock told her that she had missed her bus.

Damn.

Now, she had no choice but to drive with Daryl. She felt ashamed for thinking that, she loved riding with him.

"Great!" Milton exclaimed, clearly excited. "So, Daryl, maybe I can come by around 1? That way we won't have to worry about lunch and then whenever we get done we can give Carol a call and head out."

"Sounds good." Daryl looked at her, waiting for her affirmation on the plans.

"It does. I don't have anything to do tomorrow, like usual," she stole a glance at Daryl. "So, I'll be free all day."

"Okay," Milton continued to smile. "I'll see you both tomorrow." With one final wave, he was gone.

Daryl took that cue for them to start walking and Carol fell into step beside him. Their fingers brushed accidentally and she took a step away from him, hoping he didn't notice.

"I take it ya don' have that much homework, since you ain't got your book bag." He held the outside door for her and noticed her empty back.

"Yeah, all the teachers were nice and decided that they wouldn't assign any homework. That makes my weekend much more exciting." She laughed, sarcastically.

"Well, then tha' must be one easy project since ya don' have to work on it over the weekend." Daryl looked at her, searching her face, almost as if he was studying her reaction.

"Oh, um, yeah. It is pretty easy. I got most of it done at lunch and it isn't due until next week so I'll be fine."

"I see. Tha's good."

Carol got a sinking feeling in her stomach, she could tell that Daryl didn't believe what she was saying but was too good of a friend to say anything.

She hated lying to him, but she knew she could never tell him that she was avoiding him. He would be hurt. So for now, she was just going to go along as if she didn't know that he knew she was making it all up.  
\-----------------------------------------  
Daryl knew there was something wrong. Carol hadn't said one word the whole trip to her house and usually she talked his ear off. Not that he minded, of course, he loved hearing her talk and that was why it was bothering him so much.

There was something off with Carol and he briefly wondered if it was because of something he did last night. Had she seen him look down her shirt?

Fuck.

If that was the case, how the hell was he going to fix this? He didn't even know where to begin. He couldn't just come out and say he was sorry for looking down her shirt and hoped she could forget it happened.

He didn't know what to do! Should he tell her how he felt about her? Would that excuse him for what he did? Probably not. And telling Carol that he loved her would probably cause her to run the fuck away and never talk to him again.

Who would love a piece of redneck trash like him, anyway?  
\-----------------------------------------  
Carol had never been so relieved to see her empty house as she was in that moment. It had been awkward in the car and she knew it was all because she was making it awkward. All she could think about was what happened last night. Kissing a friend on the cheek wasn't something to freak out about, but it was Daryl. He barely liked to be touched and kissing him was probably the worst thing she could have done.

Daryl could probably have his choice of any pretty girl he set out to talking too, he would never settle for plain ol' Carol, his best friend.

Tears sprang to her eyes and she needed to get out of there, sitting so close to him wasn't making anything better. Especially since all she wanted to do was crawl in his lap and wrap her arms around him.

So, the moment Daryl put his truck in park, in her driveway, she opened the door and was ready to bolt.

But Daryl grabbed her wrist before she could.

She gasped and looked back at him, hoping he couldn't tell that she had almost started crying. His thumb brushed the inside of her wrist and she had to hold back a shiver.

"Carol, is everythin' okay? Ya been actin' strange, today." His eyes, his beautiful blue eyes, searched her face. "Is it cuz of somethin' I did last night?"

He thought he had done something wrong? What kind of bitch was she for making him think that he had done something wrong?

"It's nothing, Daryl." She said, in what she hoped was an assuring tone. "You didn't do anything last night. I promise." She gave him a weak smile.

He let go of her wrist, but didn't look convinced with her answer.

"Ya sure."

Quickly, she nodded. "I am." She stepped out of the truck and held the door open slightly. "I'll see you tomorrow. Bye."

She forced herself to walk normally to her door, but once she shut it and was out of view of Daryl, she ran to her room and sobbed into her pillows.

She was going to ruin her and Daryl's friendship with these feelings and her relationship with him meant everything to her.  
\----------------------------------------  
Daryl drove home, gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were turning white. There was something wrong with Carol. She had almost starting crying, for Christ's sakes! Of course, she had tried to hide her face from him, but he had seen them.

Seeing her sad was the worst thing he ever had to see and not knowing why she was sad made it even more worse.

Carol was always happy, always bubbly. Never passed up a chance to tease him. Always ate lunch with him and never once gave him a fake smile.

None of the smiles she had given him and Milton today were real, he could tell instantly. While she smiled, there had been something off with her eyes. Her smile had not reached them.

Her smiles always brightened his day. Sometimes he would go out of his way to see one, sometimes stepping out of his comfort zone by nudging her playfully in the shoulder or by poking her in the ribs.

If it was something he did, he hoped that she would finally come out and tell him so he could set about trying to make it right.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Milton arrived at Daryl's house right at one, like he had said he would. The moment Daryl had heard the car pull up in his driveway, he had quickly left his house and ushered Milton towards the woods. He did all this without saying one word.

Luckily, Merle had passed out in his room and hadn't heard the approaching car. The last thing Daryl had wanted was Merle to come outside and see Milton. He would probably make Ed look harmless.

"So, I was thinking." Milton started, as he followed Daryl as best he could through the woods. "That we take samples of different plants we find and place them in different environments to see how they grow."

"Sounds fine." Daryl threw over his shoulder and ducked under a near by tree branch. Looking back, he could still see his house through the woods and knew that hadn't ventured in deep enough, yet.

"Daryl, slow down!" Milton called after him, hopping over a fallen log and almost losing his footing. "You may be comfortable to walk through here with a blindfold, but as I like to spend my days indoors I am not as familiar with this landscape."

"Sorry." He mumbled and stopped, so that his friend could catch up with him.

Milton stopped in front of him and straightened the strap of his messenger bag, out of breath. He was dressed in a pair of tan slacks and a long-sleeved blue and white plaid button-down shirt. It was no wonder he was already sweating. Who wore long sleeves in Georgia?

Hell, he had no sleeves at all and he was sweating.

"So, what's the hurry? I was hoping we could settle down first and discuss what we were going to do; not go off gallivanting through the woods." He wiped the sweat off his brow. "I was at least hoping that I could have dropped off my bag in your house. It is quite heavy." He adjusted the strap again and rolled his shoulder.

"Ya don' wanna go in there." Daryl turned his back on him and began to swivel his head back and forth, as if he was looking for some thing.

"Why?" Milton questioned, curiously. He took a step closer to Daryl, so that now he was standing beside him.

"Ya jus' don't!" Daryl snapped, causing Milton to jump. "Sorry. Jus' my brother is in there...and ya don' wanna meet him."

"Oh." He pushed up his glasses. "I understand. Maybe we can gather some samples here and then set everything up in the back of your truck? It would make for an ideal workstation. I also have some plastic cups and soil in my car for later."

"A'right." Daryl nodded. "So, wha' the fuck we lookin' for?"

"Hmm, I was thinking we could gather a few samples of different types of moss, a few different types of flowers and any other plant we find necessary." He dug in his bag and brought out a trowel. "Well, where too start?"

"Um, there's a creek over tha' way." Daryl planted a hand on his hip and used the other to point in the direction he was referring too. "We can prob'bly find some moss over there and there's some flowers that bloom along its edges."

"All right, then. Lead the way."  
\--------------------------------------------------------------  
Both of their arms were full when they finally made it back to the house an hour later. Daryl took a quick look around and saw no sign of Merle, but it didn't mean he was still passed out in the house.

Hell, he could be watching them right now.

"Maybe, I should have brought the plastic cups with us." Milton admitted, as he dropped his arm full of plants onto the bed of Daryl's truck.

"Tha' woulda been smart." Daryl dumped his own load and wiped his brow. The day was starting to get hot and the idea of sitting in the sun wasn't appealing to him. He felt sorry for poor Milton, wearing them fuckin' long sleeves. He briefly thought about cutting them off for him.

Milton came back to the truck, plastics cups in hand and a small bag of soil in the other; his messenger bag was gone.

"Alright. Let's sort through these." He handed Daryl the supplies and joined him in the back of the truck.

"So, the mosses can go over here." He grabbed the few samples and put them in separate piles. "And these different types of weeds can go here." He pushed the weeds into another pile. "And, finally, the flowers over here."

Daryl watched as Milton worked.

"Huh." Milton said, picking up one of the small white flowers. "I don't recall ever seeing this type of flower before." He held out the flower to Daryl.

He took it, the corner of his mouth tilting up. "It's a Cherokee Rose. There's a lot of 'em tha' grow around here." He handed the flower back to Milton, who gingerly placed it in a plastic cup he had packed with soil.

"Fuck, baby brother!"

The booming voice of his brother made both of them jump and Daryl groaned, wishing he could fucking hide.

Merle came around the side of the truck and stood in front of them, clearly very unhappy.

"Don' tell me ya gone gay on me!" He looked at Milton, the cup, with the Rose in it, still in his hand. "Ya givin' boys flowers and shit now?"

"It ain't fuckin' like that!" He hopped off the edge of his truck and stood face to face with his brother. "Ya fuckin' know tha'!"

Merle smirked. "Do I, bro? Yer friends wit' a nice piece of ass and ya haven't even hit it yet. I've been gettin' my suspicions about ya."

Before Daryl could defend himself, Milton spoke up and he had to bit back another groan. He had hoped that Merle wouldn't notice him there. It was too late now.

"Excuse me. Are you talking about Carol?"

Merle's eyes left his brother's and went to the young man sitting behind him. "Well, who is this?"

"Milton Mamet." He stuck his hand out and Daryl rolled his eyes. But Merle surprised him, by shaking the offered hand.

"Merle Dixon." He slung an arm around Daryl. "I take it ya friends wit' my little brother here?"

Milton nodded.

"And are ya friends wit' Carol, too?"

Again, Milton nodded.

"So, ya agree wit' me when I say she's a nice piece of ass, right?

"Um, well, uh..." He took his glasses off and began to wipe them on his shirt. "I wouldn't," he put them back on his face. "I wouldn't exactly say that. I would say that she is a very attractive young woman."

"I think I might like ya." Merle slapped him on the shoulder. Milton winced and rubbed at the spot of contact. "Now, ya just gotta help me convince my dumbass brother, here, that he needs to fuckin' bang her already!"

Milton's face turned red and so did Daryl's.

"Shut up." He elbowed his brother, causing his arm to slide from his shoulders and then he looked at Milton. "I'm gonna go and make a phone call." He didn't want to say aloud who he was calling. "And then we can leave, since we're done."

They weren't done, actually, but the moment Merle showed up Daryl knew that they needed to get out of there. So, he made his retreat, only feeling guilty for a few seconds for leaving Milton with his brother. They seemed to be getting along.

At least Merle wasn't trying to pull Milton's underwear over his head.

Daryl entered his house and headed straight for their only phone, which was set up in the kitchen, and dialed Carol's number.

He knew it by heart.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Hey," he said.

"Oh, hi, Daryl!" She sounded much happier than she had yesterday and there wasn't any false cheerfulness in her voice. Maybe he had just been seeing things yesterday. Maybe she had been perfectly fine.

No.

There had been something wrong with her yesterday and he still wanted to know what it was. That was what best friends did, right? They found out what was bothering each other and tried to make it right.

"Um, well, me and Milton are finished. Ya hungry?" He began to bite his thumbnail, not knowing why he was so nervous. He had talked to Carol on the phone hundreds of times.

"I'm starving!" She giggled. "I just woke up like an hour ago, so I haven't eaten anything yet."

"Why the hell did ya get up so late?" He settled his back against the counter. "It ain't like ya to sleep in like that."

She sighed. "I couldn't sleep last night."

"Is everythin' a'right? Ya know ya can tell me if there was somethin' wrong, right?" He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm-I'm here for ya, Carol."

"I-I know, Daryl. Nothing's wrong. I just wasn't getting comfortable last night, so I popped in a movie and ended up just sleeping on the couch."

"Oh, a'right." He heard Merle laugh outside and he started to get nervous for poor Milton. "Well, me and Milton should be coming by soon. See ya then."

"Okay. See you soon." And they both hung up.

Daryl ran back outside, excepting to find Milton stripped to his underwear and hanging upside down from the nearest tree.

Taking a quick scan of the trees by his house, he sighed in relief when he saw no Milton dangling there and then his eyes landed on his truck. Merle was sitting in the seat that he had vacated and it seemed that he and Milton were actually talking.

He couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Daryl knew his brother wasn't the nicest person in the world and he could only imagine the things he could have done to Milton.

As he neared them, Merle looked over Milton's shoulder and said something to him and instantly they were both silent as they watched him approach.

He couldn't help but feel suspicious of them. What had they been talking about, that the moment he got near, they had to shut up?

He didn't like that. He was glad that Merle seemed to like Milton and didn't want to beat his ass, but he didn't know how he felt if they all of a sudden became conspirator partners. Things wouldn't bode well for him, if they did.

"Ya ready to go?" He asked Milton, who nodded.

"I've separated the plants we will keep in the sun, we can leave them in your truck for now, and the others ones we can put into your shed."

Milton hopped down from the truck and then turned to collect the plastic cups, but Merle stopped him.

"Naw, I got them. It looks like ya'll have someplace to be." He looked at Daryl, a smirk playing on his lips and gave him a wink.

Daryl's eyes narrowed at his brother, wanting to know now, more than ever, what him and Milton had been talking about. Merle never offered to help him do anything. Something was up.

"Daryl, you coming?" Milton sat in the front seat of his small silver car; window rolled down, and looked up at him.

"Oh. Yeah." He made his way to the passenger seat.

"Ya'll have fun now!" Merle called after them, as Milton backed out of the driveway.  
\-------------------------------------------  
Carol was waiting outside when Milton pulled into her own driveway. He waved to her and she waved back with a smile, Daryl didn't seem to be paying attention and was focusing his gaze out of the window.

"Hey, guys." She greeted when she slid into the back seat.

"Hey, Carol." Milton looked at her from the rearview mirror and smiled.

Daryl turned around and gave her one of his half smiles, eyes searching hers. "Hey."

She had decided last night, as she tossed and turned, that she wasn't going to think about her feelings about her best friend while he was around. Things would be so much easier for her if she didn't think about him like that while he was around.

Plus, she could tell, that he knew there was something bothering her and she didn't want him to ask what it was. She wasn't going to tell him and she could only lie so much.  
\---------------------------------------------  
The three of them got a booth in the corner. Daryl slid into one side and Milton in the other. Carol looked between the two, feeling slightly awkward and then, after a moment, took a seat next to Daryl.

She missed the secret smile Milton had hidden behind the menu he was looking at. If she had seen it, she would have thought that he had been happy she had taken her seat next to Daryl.  
\---------------------------------------------  
Dinner had gone well. It was nice to have friends he could talk and laugh with. And to think he considered someone like Daryl Dixon a friend!

He had been scared of him before, but now he realized that Daryl wasn't so bad. He thought his brother would be even scarier, but he was wrong about that too. Well, he was sure both of them could be scary as hell if they wanted to be, but he felt confident that he would never see any of that Dixon anger directed at him.

If his mother knew who he was hanging out with, she would have a heart attack. That was why he was never going to tell her. To his surprise, he actually liked the Dixons and so far, they hadn't shown him any of the things people accused them of.

And to think, that he, Milton Mamet, was working with Merle Dixon to find ways on getting Carol and Daryl together.

What was the world coming too?


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"So, last night, I drew up graphs and wrote my hypothesis of how I think our plants will react to the different environments we place them in." Milton slid over the several sheets he laid on the table, so they were in front of Daryl. Their teacher had given the class time for them to all go over their projects.

Daryl scanned the sheets, impressed by what he saw. It was all written in Milton's neat handwriting.

"Fuck, Milton." He smirked over at him. "Ya did a helluva job on these."

"U-Uh, thanks." He was clearly not use to being complimented. "I just had a lot of time on Sunday to work on it."

What had Daryl done on Sunday? He had gone out hunting in the morning, caught a couple of squirrels and a rabbit, avoided his father and laid around on his ass for the rest of the day. Compared to Milton, his weekend was pretty fucking lazy.

"Next time let me know yer goin' to do a shit ton of work, so I can at least help ya." He shifted through the sheets a second time. "Damn, Milton, ya already done over half the work!"

"I wasn't aware that you would actually want to help me with any of it. Most of the partners I had usually left me with all the work." He pushed up his glasses. "I didn't mind. Really. And we always got a good grade, so that was a positive."

"Well, hell, I ain't like any of ya other partners. We're gonna work together from now on. I don't fuckin' care if we fail." He slid the papers back over to him.

"Oh, um, okay." He smiled, sorted the pile of papers back into a neat pile and placed them into his folder. "I was thinking that maybe I could come over today and check out our plants. See how they are doing after two days."

"A'right." Daryl agreed. It seemed like Merle had liked Milton, so he wasn't as nervous for him to come over now. His pa was a different story, but during the week, he barely saw him. He would go to work and head to the bar the moment he would get off, then stumble home at midnight to pass out and did it all over again.

He knew that wasn't a good life to live, but he could care less. As long as his daddy wasn't around much, he was happy.

"Oh, I put one of our plants in Merle's room." He suddenly remembered. "I figure it'll be dead before tomorrow but we'll see." He turned to put his science book away and stood up as the rest of the class was preparing to go.

"That's a good idea. So, will you be going in there to water it?" Milton stood up and began to follow him out the door.

"Hell naw, I could barely stand bein' in there for the few seconds it took me to put the damn thing in there."

Milton chuckled. "That bad, huh?"

"Fuck yeah."

Jesus, he thought he was going to fucking kill himself walking into that room. Clothes and shit had been everywhere. There had even been a fucking shovel in there. He didn't know why it was there, probably brought in by Merle when he was high or something, but he had tripped over it and almost knocked his ass out on his dresser. Beer bottles littered every available space and he didn't even want to know what the hell was under his bed. The shades were constantly pulled and no sun was allowed to come through. That was where placed the plastic cup containing some sort of weed.

He couldn't help but feel sorry for the damn thing. It was bound to have a short, cruel life in there.  
\---------------------------------------  
"So, when can I see this project you and Milton are working on?" Carol asked while the three of them sat down for lunch.

"Pff, it ain't anythin' interestin'. Jus' a bunch of moss and weeds." Daryl unwrapped his sandwich to take a bite.

"Don't forget the Cherokee Rose." Milton added, unpacking his own lunch. "It's a real pretty flower." This was directed at Carol.

"I know." She smiled. "Daryl made me one in ceramics class." She kept it on her dresser and every time she looked at it, she couldn't help but smile.

"Really?" Milton looked at Daryl. "You made her that?"

Daryl didn't like the way Milton was smiling at him, so he focused his attention on his sandwich and grumbled, "Yeah."

Carol continued. "Yeah, I think it's really good. I've never seen the flower myself, but I'm sure it looks exactly how he made it."

"I wish I could be blessed with some skill in the arts. Unfortunately, all my talent is in boring school subjects." He smiled.

"Same here. I made him a snake, but it looks more like a worm with a smiley face."

That snake was sitting on the night table beside his bed and was often the first thing he saw when he woke up.

"So, anyways back to my first question. When can I see it?" She looked back and forth between Milton and Daryl.

"Well, since it isn't my house I don't think it would be right if I decided when you may see it." He looked at Daryl. "Is there a specific day that she could come over?"

He shrugged. "It don't matter to me."

"Doesn't." Carol corrected with a teasing smile. He glared at her.

"Hm, how about Friday? I think we will have some significant results by then."

"Okay!" She clapped her hands in excitement.

"I don' know why ya so excited to see a bunch of damn plants!" Daryl grumbled. "They ain't gonna sing and dance for ya."  
\---------------------------------------------  
Carol had opted to ride the bus, so Daryl could go straight home with Milton driving behind him. They pulled up in his driveway, Daryl parking beside his brother's bike and Milton parking behind him.

"I put some of the cups on the back porch. They'll get a lot of sun there." He watched as Milton dug in his bag and took out two notebooks and two pencils. "The rest are in the shed and then there's that one in Merle's room."

"Hell, I jus' heard my name." Merle stepped from around the side of the house and Daryl briefly wondered why he was outside.

Merle's eyes locked on Milton, his grin widened and walked up him and slung an arm around his shoulder. "Milty, my man!"

Milton hunched his shoulders, unsure how to respond to the camaraderie. "Hello, Merle."

"So are ya here to look at them plants of yers?" He started lead Milton to the backyard, Daryl close behind.

"I found one 'em in my room. It was all yellow and shit. I don' think tha's supposed to happen."

Daryl snorted, trying to disguise his laughter.

Milton turned around, ducked under Merle's arm and handed Daryl a notebook and pencil. "Maybe you can go check on the progress of the plants in the shed and I'll get the ones on your porch."

Daryl nodded and took the notebook. "A'right." And he headed in the direction of the shed, expecting Merle to follow. Looking over his shoulder, he was surprised to see Merle following Milton and it looked like they were in a conversation.

He wasn't sure to be happy that Merle had taken a liking to Milton, instead of wanting to beat him up, or to feel uneasy at their newfound friendship. He couldn't help but feel like they were scheming something.  
\---------------------------------------  
"So, Carol will be coming over on Friday." Milton said, as he pushed up his glasses to get a closer look at the Cherokee rose in the cup. It seemed to be growing just fine. He jotted it's progress in his notebook.

"Hm, tha's good." Merle said from behind him. He leaned against the house and watched him. "We should get 'em drunk. Maybe he'll actually fuck her then."

Milton stood up straight and looked over at Merle. "I doubt they would like it very much if their first time was the result of being drunk."

"Hell, tha's how I was fuckin' deflowered."

"Oh, really? And where is the girl you slept with?" Milton crossed his arms and waited for the answer he already knew.

Merle shrugged. "Fuck if I know. She was gone before I woke up. I didn't even get a round two."

"Well, we don't need Carol leaving before he wakes up. We want them together, not to have them avoid each other for the rest of their lives. They don't need to have sex, either!"

"Fine." He huffed. "Maybe we can have her suck his dick or somethin'."

"That's it! We're done!" Milton threw his hands in the air, thoroughly disgusted, and began to walk away.

"Hey, wait!" Merle called after him, pushing off the wall. "I was just fuckin' wit' ya."

Milton turned back around, folding his arms back across his chest and waited for Merle to continue speaking.

"Fine. Maybe we can some how get him to do some pussy shit, like kiss her or somethin'."

"What's so bad about them just kissing? I find it pretty romantic."

"Well fuck me, have ya ever been kissed?"

"U-Uh, no." Milton dropped his head and didn't watch as Merle approached him.

Slinging an arm around his shoulder again, Merle hooted. "Well, after we get my bro and his woman together, we'll work on gettin' ya laid!"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Friday came quickly and Carol found herself sitting in the passenger seat of Daryl's truck as they made their way to his house, Milton following not far behind in his little silver car.

"I can't believe ya wanna see a bunch of plants." Daryl spoke, eyes briefly looking at her before they returned on the road.

She shrugged. "What else do I have to do? Plus, I really want to see the Cherokee Roses. If they're anything like the one you made me, then I know I'm going to love them."

The Rose sat on her dresser, on top of her jewelry box, so every time she would get up in the morning and brush her hair in front of the mirror, she would see it there and smile. She still remembered the day he had given it to her. He was blushing as he handed it to her and she found it adorable.

She had given him the snake a few days before, since she only had to glaze it in one color. Green. But Daryl had spent days on her Rose, making sure that the coats of glaze he put on it were even. He had spent so much time on it that she had been embarrassed to give him her snake, the one that had taken her two whole days to make and glaze. He had smiled as he received it; she guessed that was a good sign.

"So, have you named it yet?" Smiling, she glanced over at him.

"Named wha'?" He pulled his thumbnail from his mouth and looked at her.

"The snake I gave you." She giggled. "It has to have a name."

"Oh," he smirked. "I didn't know what to call 'im, but Merle suggested that I name him Neil."

"Neil? Why Neil?" She asked, curious.

This time Daryl shrugged. "I don' know. Jus' thought it was a good name, I guess."

Daryl remembered when he had walked in the house, Carol's snake clutched in his hand, afraid to put it in his bag in case it broke and Merle had just stepped out of the kitchen, a beer in one hand and a sandwich in the other.

"Wha' ya got there, bro?" He had asked, eyeing the clay figure in his hand with interest.

"A snake." He had mumbled back. "Carol made it for me."

Merle snorted. "So, ya guys are makin' each other shit now?" He sat down on the couch. "Well, wha' ya gonna name it?"

"Wha'?" Daryl narrowed his eyes in confusion at his brother. Name it? What the fuck? It was just a fuckin' clay snake, not the real thing.

"You gotta name it. Ya can't jus' have it sitting on ya dresser wit' no name!" He took a long swig of his beer before he continued. "I gotta name for ya."

"Yeah?"

"Neil."

"The fuck? Why Neil?" He had shrugged off his book bag, dropped it against the side of the couch and took a seat next to brother.

Merle shrugged and leaned back in the couch and put his feet on the table. "I jus' really like the name Neil."

"A'right. I'll fuckin' call him Neil."

And since that day, Neil the Snake rested on the night table beside his bed.

"So, do you call it Neil?" Carol asked, still smiling.

"Yep." The side of his mouth quirked up, but his eyes never left the road. "I think Merle is jealous I got myself a fuckin' snake made out of clay in my room."

"Really?"

He gave her a shy smile. "He should be. I think it's fuckin' awesome."

Carol quickly turned her head to look out the window, so he wouldn't see her blush.  
\-----------------------------------  
They had pulled in his driveway a few minutes later, but before Carol could open to the door to get out, Daryl grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"Is everythin' okay?" His eyes searched her face, just like they had a few days ago. "It was jus' that a couple days ago ya weren't actin' yourself and now ya seem fine."

She gave him a smile. "Everything's fine, Daryl. I was just feeling a little down a couple days ago, but now I'm all right. I promise."

The lie left her mouth easily. This wasn't the first time he had asked her if she was all right over the course of the week. She found him watching her closely, more closely than usual. and she had to tell herself to act normal.

When she found herself alone, she would try reasoning with herself.

It was just a small kiss on the cheek, Carol.

Friends do that all the time. It's no big deal.

He's probably forgotten all about it.

_I could kiss Milton on the cheek right now and wouldn't worry about._

But this was Daryl she was talking about. He had probably never been kissed on the cheek before, or that he could remember. His mother had died when he was really young and Merle sure as hell wasn't going to kiss him on the cheek.

The image of Merle kissing Daryl made her laugh.

Daryl quirked on eyebrow at her and let go of her wrist. "Okay, I believe ya." Then he climbed out of the truck and walked over to join Milton.

Milton clutched his notebook close to his chest and almost looked slightly nervous. "Um," his eyes shifted to her when she walked up to stand by Daryl. "I think you should show Carol the Cherokee Roses, Daryl. I'll go and check on our plants."

Daryl narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "I can help check on 'em, too. It's my project too."

"Uh, well, I was just thinking she would rather see them then watch us working on our project. I would come with, but I would rather not step foot in those woods for awhile." He fiddled with his glasses, not wanting to look at the two.

Carol was watching him, trying to find out what was really going on, but when he made eye contact with her, she couldn't read anything in his eyes.

And she really did want to see those flowers.

Wrapping her hand around Daryl's bicep, she pulled him gently towards the woods with a smile on her face. "Come on, Daryl."

He followed her somewhat reluctantly and looked over his shoulder one last time at Milton. "Ya sure ya got it?"

Milton nodded. "Of course. It will only take a few moments to jot everything down and when you get back we can work on the graphs together."

Daryl nodded, then turned back around and let Carol lead him into the woods. Smiling, Milton couldn't help but notice that her hand had not left his arm and they were walking close together.

They would make a beautiful couple. God, he hoped that his and Merle's plan worked. Those two deserved each other.  
\---------------------------------------  
Turning the corner of the Dixon house, Milton was surprised to see Merle leaning against the wall beside the back door and a cigarette dangling from his lips.

"'Bout time ya got here, Milty. I thought I was gonna have to drag ya ass back here myself." He pushed off the wall and walked up to him.

"I'm sorry." He apologized. "I had to find a way to get rid of them. I think Daryl's getting suspicious."

"Fuck," Merle threw his cigarette on the ground and crushed it under his boot. "Tha' boy is too smart for his own good."

"There isn't anything wrong with being too smart." Milton defended.

"There is if ya a Dixon." Merle put his hands on his hips. "Now, down ta business. We got ourselves a problem."

"We do?"

"Yeah, we don' have 'nough beer for later."

"What?" Milton clutched the notebook to his chest. "You were supposed to take care of that last night!"

"Well, I fuckin' forgot a'right!"

Truth was, he had drank most of it last night and had been too wasted to go out get more.

"Well, now what are we going to do?" Milton ran a hand through his hair and began to pace back and forth.

"I tell ya what we gonna do. Me and ya are gonna go and get ourselves a case while they're gone." Merle didn't even wait for Milton to say anything before he began to head to the front of the house.

"Wait!" Milton ran after him. "What do you mean 'me and you'? Why can't you get the stuff by yourself?"

Merle stopped and turned around. "Cuz you and me are in this shit together! Now, quit fuckin' complainin' and get a move on."

He sighed in defeat and dropped his supplies in his car. "So, are we taking Daryl's...?" He trailed off when he saw Merle waiting for him on his bike and his heart fell.

"We're-We're not going on that... are we?" He froze in his tracks, refusing to get any closer to the man on the bike. He was clearly insane if he thought he was actually going to ride that...thing.

"Get ya ass over here already!" Merle yelled, getting impatient.

"But-But, it's unsafe."

"I don' fuckin' care! Now get over here before they come back!" He revved the engine.

"But..." With one final, defeated sigh, he headed towards Merle and cautiously climbed on the back of his bike. He didn't know where to put his hands. He had seen Carol wrap her arms around Daryl when they had ridden the bike together but he couldn't help but think that Merle would not appreciate that much. So, he grabbed the sides of his seat.

"Um, do you have a helmet I can wear?" He had to yell to be heard over the engine.

Merle looked over his shoulder and smirked. "Helmets are for pussies!"

"Um, well-"

"Hold on!" Then they took off.

Milton screamed.  
\---------------------------------------  
"Did you hear that?" Carol turned and faced Daryl while they walked through the woods. "It sounded almost like a scream."

Daryl had been so far in his thoughts, that he hadn't heard what she was talking about. "Naw, I didn't hear nothing."

"Oh, okay." They continued to walk in silence. She had left go of his arm a while ago, when it became apparent that he was getting slightly uncomfortable with her proximity. Mumbling her apology, she backed away from him and walked behind him instead.

"Are we almost there?" She asked.

"Yeah," he nodded, then stopped and pointed. "See tha' tree right there." She saw and nodded. "Well, it's jus' a little ways from there. Ya can hear the creek from here if ya really listened." Then he continued on.

"Wait!" She called after him and ran to catch up. Her foot caught on a raised root and the ground was suddenly coming to meet her, but a strong arm wrapped around her waist and stopped her fall.

"Jesus, Carol, ya gotta be careful!" His arm remained wrapped around her waist until she was steady on her feet and even then, he was reluctant to let her go.

"Sorry." She blushed, embarrassed. "I didn't see that there. Thanks for saving me from busting my ass, Dixon."

"No problem." He didn't look at her as he said it and she could see that the tips of his ears were red. "Come on, we're here."

"Really?" She rushed forward, excited, and almost tripped again. This time she caught herself.

"There they are." Daryl pointed from beside her and her eyes fell on a bush full of beautiful white flowers.

"Oh!" She gasped, as she took a step forward and fingered one of the flower's soft petals. "These are beautiful, Daryl."

Taking a step closer to her, he carefully watched her as she gushed over the flowers. He quickly averted his gaze when she turned her head to look at him.

"Ya can pick some if ya want. Milton has some extra cups and soil you can put them in, so they stay safe until ya get home."

"Okay." Smiling, she bent down to start digging a few from the dirt. "I'm going to put one on my dresser, right next to the one you made me. I won't be able to tell the difference between the two." She threw a smile over her shoulder at him.

Daryl crossed his arms. "Now, don' ya think for a second tha' I'm gonna find myself a snake to give Neil some company. Cuz it ain't gonna fuckin' happen."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Milton sat frozen on the seat when they pulled into the parking lot of the liquor store. He could not feel his hands or legs, since he had been gripping them so tight so he wouldn't fall off. He swore he could hear Merle laughing at him, but had soon tuned him out when his mind went into survival mode.

He was not going to die on the back of a motorcycle.

"Ya stay here." Merle ordered, swinging his leg over to dismount from the bike, almost knocking Milton in the face because he had yet to move. "Make sure no one fucks wit' my bike."

Milton could only nod, prying his fingers from the sides of the seat he had gripped so hard. For a moment, he thought they had fallen off, but he wiggled them in front of his face and sighed in relief to find that all ten of them were still there and intact.

Swinging his still numb legs over the side of the bike, he stood up and stretched. He took a step forward but found that his legs were wobbly and unsteady. Not wanting to risk falling on his ass in the middle of a parking lot, he opted to stay put by Merle's bike. Leaning against the handlebars of the bike, he used them to steady him more and couldn't help but wonder if it made him look 'badass'.

His eyes began to wonder around his surroundings and fell on two people walking along the sidewalk in front of the liquor store. One was an older man wearing, what looked like, a fisherman's hat and the other a young woman, most likely his granddaughter, with blonde hair. Both were carrying fishing poles. He recognized her from school, had even had a class with her.

The blonde looked up at him and smiled. "Hey, Milton!" She called and waved.

So surprised that she was actually saying hi to him and that she knew his name, he forget hers. He raised his hand back in a wave. "H-Hey!"

It was surprising to have someone so pretty say hi to him; he was still trying to get over the fact that he had Carol as a friend.

"Nice bike." She continued, smiling.

"U-Um." This wasn't his bike. He should probably set her straight. "Thanks."

"I wish I could stay and chat, but my grandpa's taking me fishing! So, I'll see you in school!" And she continued walking with the older man.

Wiping the sweat off his brow, he turned around and was surprised to see Merle standing there, smirking at him and the case of beer at his feet.

"So, I see ya was tryin' to pick up the ladies wit' my bike."

"Of c-course not!" He refused to look at him.

Merle picked up the case with one hand and walked to his bike, slapping Milton on the shoulder when he reached him. "It's a'right Milty! If it helps ya get laid then I'll let ya borrow it anytime ya want!"

He blushed a bright red, which caused Merle to start laughing at him again.

"Jesus, kid. If ya gonna hang around wit' ol' Merle then ya best get use to the things I talk 'bout. And I talk 'bout sex...a lot"

He nodded. "I'll try." He'd try, but he doubted he would get use to it.

"Tha's the spirit!" Merle chuckled. "Now, get ya skinny ass up here!"

There was one problem Milton noticed right away. Where were they going to put the case of beer? There was clearly no room on the bike for it. Merle must have noticed where his mind was going, because he shoved the case in his arms the moment he had settled into the back of the motorcycle.  
\------------------------------------------  
"What?" He squeaked. "How am I supposed to hold on if I'm holding this?"

Merle looked at him, over his shoulder and smirked. "Ya best pray to ya Jesus, boy!"

Oh Lord, he was going to die on the back of a motorcycle.

Merle and a surprisingly still alive Milton made it back to the Dixon house, just as Daryl and Carol were making their way out of the woods. In Carol's hands were a bunch of Cherokee Roses.

"Fuck." Merle muttered, grabbed the case and headed straight for the house, leaving Milton to answer the questions the two probably had for him. Seeing as he was sitting on the back of Merle's bike.

"Where did ya two go?" Daryl was the first to voice a question, eyes squinting at Milton in suspicion.

"Um, well, I wanted to take a ride on the motorcycle." Yeah, that's it, he told himself. "And Merle kindly offered to give me one."

Daryl placed his hands on his hips. "Merle 'kindly offered' to give ya a ride? He ain't on his stash, is he?"

Milton shook his head. "Not that I know of." He dismounted the bike, a lot more unsteady than he had been before and he stumbled. Carol reached out and grabbed him before he fell on his face. He gave her a grateful smile, which she returned.

"I take it he showed you the roses." He gestured to the ones in her hands with a smile.

"Yes!" She said, happily. "They were beautiful, just like the one he made me. I decided I was going to take a couple of them home." Daryl's ears began to turn a slight red at the mention of his ceramics project.

At that moment, Merle burst through the front door, two bottles of beer in each hand. "A'right! Who wants to get shit-faced?"  
\------------------------------  
It took a bit of coaxing and the building of a small fire, for Carol to finally agree to take a bottle. Daryl didn't take a bottle until she did and Milton flat-out refused. Merle practically shoved a bottle in his hand and forced him to take a swallow.

It didn't make it down his throat. He spit the beer out and wordlessly handed the bottle back to Merle, who had muttered 'pussy' under his breath as he grabbed it and took a swig of it.

Daryl liked the taste of beer, having had tasted it a couple times before on the few occasions he drank with Merle on the couch, and from the looks of it Carol did too. She was asking for another before he had finished his first.

Merle hooted. "Looks like she's got bigger balls than the rest of ya!"

Daryl finished his with one finally swig and wordlessly asked for another. Giving Carol a look as he did. She smiled over the top of her bottle and took a long swallow, draining half of it.

So, that's how she wanted to play. He downed his in one swing and received another from his brother. Milton and Merle just watched the two, the latter smirking.

Finishing her second one, Milton handed her another one when she held out her hand, she never took her eyes off Daryl and brought the bottle to her lips. "It's on, Dixon."

Getting them drunk just became easier than both of them thought it would.  
\-----------------------------------------  
It was dark out, the fire was dying, and beer bottles littered around their feet and Merle had just stood up and forced Milton to go in the house with him. Daryl was too wasted to even begin to get suspicious. Carol was leaning against his shoulder, just as wasted. He looked up at the sky and suddenly got an idea.

He was going to take advantage of the absence of Milton and Merle; wasn't even going to wonder why they had left at the same time. He stood up, swaying slightly and offered his hand to Carol.

"I wanna show ya somethin'." His words were slurred and his vision was slightly distorted, but soon righted itself.

"Okay." Carol giggled, clearly as drunk as he was, and wrapped her small hand in his. She stumbled slightly when she stood up, but Daryl was there to steady her.

"I-I think we're drunk, Daryl." She whispered, as if she was telling him some big secret and giggled again, covering her mouth this time.

"It's all Merle's fault." he stumbled over a patch of grass, cursed, and continued walking with Carol's hand still in his. "He's the one who gave us the beer."

"We're the ones...the ones, that drank it." She fell heavily against his side and he had to wrap an arm around her waist to support her. "And I totally kicked your ass in that little contest." If he wasn't so drunk, he'd probably be embarrassed to be holding her so close and would have pulled away quickly.

Instead, he kept her close and snorted. "No one's ever beat a Dixon in a drinkin' contest and it ain't gonna start now."

"So, what are you going to show me?" He was surprised to find that her own arm was wrapped around his waist, her face almost in his chest. She really couldn't handle her liquor or she wanted to be this close to him. Even in his alcohol-addled mind, he hoped that it was the latter.

"We're almost there." He spotted his trunk, only a few yards away, the rusty metal of it shining slightly in the moonlight.

They slowly, but surely, reached the vehicle and Daryl guided Carol to the back and pulled down the door to the bed of the trunk. He helped her climb up and then crawled in after her. Laying flat on his back, hands behind his head, he urged her to do the same. She did, but much closer to him than he expected. He didn't move over, though, he liked her near.

"Look at the stars." He pointed once she had gotten situated next to him and her eyes followed his finger.

The sky was clear, the moon was out and there was millions of shining stars twinkling down on the pair.

"This is pretty romantic, Daryl." Carol snuggled closer to his side and giggled. "Wanna screw around?"

His whole body froze at her words, drunk or not, the thought of being with her like that made his blood race. And to his dismay, he felt some of that blood go a little south.

"Wha'?" He finally rasped out, turning to lean on his elbow, slightly above her.

Her eyes were focused above her, on the stairs, a small smirk on her face. "You heard me, Dixon."

Fuck.

Did she really want him to screw around with her or was that just the alcohol talking? Damn Merle for giving him that beer, now he couldn't think straight!

"A'right." He choked out and leaned closer to her face, eyes focused on her lips. He was going to kiss her. Angling his head, to get better access, he looked at her eyes for a brief second and froze when he saw that she was watching him. Immediately he was set off course and his lips landed on the side of her mouth, missing his mark.

Cursing slightly, when his vision began to get blurry and he felt dizzy. He had to lie back down before he puked. That would have not been a good thing.

So, he settled his head back on his hands and looked back up at the sky, waiting for Carol to start laughing at him. Instead, he was shocked when she laid her head on his chest and wrapped an arm around his waist, fingers gripping one of his belt loops.

"That was nice, Daryl."  
\-----------------------------------------  
"Where the fuck are they?" Merle asked the moment him and Milton walked back to the fire to find the empty log.

Milton nearly had a panic attack. "This isn't good!" He turned to the man beside him. "Merle, they're drunk! They could get themselves killed." He ran a nervous hand through his hair. "I knew that this was a bad idea."

"Relax, Milty!" Merle slapped him so hard on the back that his glasses almost flew off his face. "I didn' hear a car start, so they ain't out there cruisin' around."

"Please forgive me, if I don't find that comforting at all." Milton wiped his glasses off and placed them back on his face. "May I suggest that we spilt up and look for them?"

"A'right. I'll check the house, more specifically the bedroom." He waggled his eyebrows and smirked at his bespectacled partner.

Milton rolled his eyes. "I suppose, I will check the front yard." They spilt up. Merle went into the house and he went to the front of the yard where the vehicles were parked.

It didn't take long to find the couple and he couldn't help but smile when he did.

"I found them!" He called into the house.

"Are they havin' sex?" Merle walked out the front door, a smile on his face. "'Bout fuckin' time, baby brother."

Milton sighed in annoyance. "No." He led him over to the truck bed. "Look."

Merle looked down at the couple, who were wrapped around each other. "I suppose tha's close 'nough."

"Hm, I don't know if our plan worked, Merle. It looks like they just passed out." He turned around and leaned against the truck.

"They was prob'bly 'bout to have sex and then one of them got dizzy or somethin' and just passed out. I hate it when that shit happens."

Milton sighed. "Will there ever be a time where you won't mention sex in a sentence?"

"Nope." He smirked. "Speakin' of sex." Milton groaned, but Merle ignored him and kept going. "I was at the bar the other day and this pretty little thing walks up to me and starts talkin'. Right off, I find out she's got a smart mouth on her, but I like it. I tell ya, when a woman has a smart mouth, ya start to wonder what other things that mouth can do."

Milton wanted to cover his ears and block out his voice, but knew Merle would just tell him to man up or grow a pair. So, he continued to listen...reluctantly.

"And she has this short brown hair tha' makes me wanna run my hands through it and don' even get me started on her tits." He elbowed him. "It ain't often when ya find a woman who has the perfect set of tits. Anyways, she lives on a farm a little ways outta town and she's got a younger sister, pretty little thing too, but way to young fer me. Mebbe I can hook ya two up." Merle rubbed at the slight scruff on his chin. "Naw, I saw ya makin' eyes at that blonde girl earlier. Wha' was her name?"

"Um...Andrea?" He was slightly unsure, but then it came to him. "Yes. Her name was Andrea."  
\----------------------------------------  
It was getting late and Milton knew he should probably take Carol home. Good thing he hadn't consumed any alcohol.

"I don't think they're going to remember much tomorrow." Milton said, watching as Merle gently picked up Carol and headed towards his car.

"They're pretty wasted." Merle agreed, ducking in the car to put the seatbelt on Carol. She stirred slightly and opened her eyes.

Smiling, she patted his hand. "Thanks, Merle."

Unsure of what she was thanking him for, he just nodded. "Yer welcome, girl. Now, Milton's gonna take ya home. Yer gonna have one hell of a hangover tomorrow."

"Ugh." She groaned, rolling her head to the side and closed her eyes.

Merle straightened and closed the door, softly. "Have fun gettin' tha' one in bed." He placed a hand on Milton's shoulder, instead of slapping him.

"I am not looking forward to that." He looked towards the truck, where Daryl still laid all sprawled out. "What are you going to do with him?"

Merle snorted. "Boy's too heavy fer me to carry his ass inside and he ain't five years old anymore. Looks like he'll be campin out."

Milton looked up at the cloudless sky. "Good thing it doesn't look like rain."

"Yeah, his ass is fuckin' lucky. I'ma going to get him a pillow an' blanket so he's at least comfortable."

"That'll be nice." He opened the door to his car. "Well, I better go. See you later, Merle."

"Yeah." He was already heading towards the house, but threw over his shoulder. "I'll see ya later, Milty!"

A few minutes later, Merle emerged from the house a pillow and blanket under his arm. Reaching his brother, he shoved the pillow under his head and threw the blanket over his body.

"Sweet fuckin' dreams, baby bro."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

God, his head was pounding. He didn't even want to open his eyes. The sun was already making it worse by slipping through the cracks in his eyelids.

Wait a minute! The sun?

His eyes shot open and he immediately regretted it. The sun burned his eyes and he thought he had gone blind. Why was he even fucking outside? All he could remember was drinking beer and passing out next to Carol. He couldn't recall nothing between there.

Oh Lord, Carol! This time he shot into a sitting position and frantically looked around only to find Merle leaning against the truck, smirking at him.

" 'Bout time ya got up, baby brother. Jus' got back from takin' yer woman home." Merle reached over and clapped his hand on his brother's shoulder. "She's definitely yers now." Then he winked.

What the hell was that about? What happened last night? Oh, fuck...

"And next time ya two get down to it make sure ya woman has some clothes on when I come out here. Got myself quite an eye full." Merle snorted. "I ain't ashamed to say I stood there a couple minutes enjoyin' the view. She's was quite embarrassed when I woke her up, though. Covered herself up real quick. I was surprised she didn't wake ya up wit' her screechin'."

Merle rambled on and meanwhile, Daryl was panicking.

Getting down to it? Carol naked and beside him? He looked down and saw that he was still fully clothed. He pushed the blanket further down his legs.

Fuck...

His pants were unbuttoned and his fly was undone.

Merle noticed and laughed. "Oh, and word of advice, brother." He threw a box at him. The word condoms immediately stuck out to Daryl. "Use one of those before ya invite Carol over fer the night. I ain't ready to be an uncle, yet." Then he walked off, chuckling to himself.

Daryl looked at down at the box in his hand. The longer he stared at it, the angrier he got. How could they have been so stupid? Having drunken sex in the back of his truck? That wasn't how he had wanted his first time to go and he was sure Carol thought the same thing. Hell, he had thought their first time would occur in the very far future, if they ever even got together, and it would happen on a mattress, somewhere nice. He would have taken his time with her, explored her... Now, they had gone and fucked up.

He couldn't even remember last night. Had it been good? Had Carol liked it? Did she want to do it again?

Shit! He ran his hands through his hair and gripped it to the point of pain. Of course, she didn't want to fucking do it again! He had probably been shit at it, like he was at everything else. She probably didn't want to see him ever again. Why else wouldn't she have woken him up before she left?

He climbed out of the truck and kicked the tire angrily. She was probably never going to speak to him. Was probably at home washing the taste of him out of her mouth, if they had even fucking kissed! He punched the side of the truck and ignored the pain in his knuckles.

He probably hadn't even had the decency to kiss her before they fucked. Most likely, he had just ripped off her clothes, unbuttoned his pants and got right down to it.

What if he had raped her?

Fuck. He, after all, hadn't taken off any of his clothes. Had she fought him? Did she cry for help? Had he done something to her to make her silent? Had he hit her?

He slid down the side of the truck and held his head in his hands. Tears sprang to his eyes, but he held them back. He was not going to cry.

He had probably just lost his best friend and the girl he loved, but he would not cry.

Real men didn't cry.  
\-------------------------------------------  
Merle continued chuckling to himself as he came out of the bathroom. He figured he had let Daryl think about last night enough. He loved fucking with his brother. Sometimes it was just too easy. Hell, he'd been surprised that he had been able to unbutton and unzip his pants without waking him up.

Looking out the living room window, he had to stop in his tracks. Daryl was sitting by the tire of his trunk with his head in his hands.

Shit. He had wanted his brother to freak out a little bit...not totally break down. Opening the front door, he walked over to his younger sibling.

"Wha's wrong?" He stopped in front of him, hands on his hips as he looked down at Daryl.

Daryl lifted his head to look up at him, eyes slightly red. "I raped her, didn' I?"

"The fuck?" Merle crouched down, so he was eye-level with him. He had wanted Daryl to think the he and Carol had had sex, but he didn't want Daryl to think he raped the girl. "Why the fuck would ya think that?"

Daryl shrugged. "She didn' bother to wake me up when she left. Obviously I did something she didn' like. 'Sides why would she want to be with a redneck piece of shit like me?" He glanced at his brother. "Us Dixons ain't known to have good women like her."

Merle thought back to the spunky farmer's daughter he had met. "Not yet." He muttered. "Look, Daryl there's somethin' I gotta tell ya."

Daryl watched him expectantly.

Fuck, he was going to be so mad when he told him the truth. Probably shoulda known things were going to get fuckin' out of hand.

"Um, tha' whole ya sleepin' wit' Carol thing was all a joke. I jus' wanted to fuck wit' ya cuz ya got so wasted last night."

"What?!" Daryl stood up so fast, that Merle nearly fell on his ass when he tried to look up at him.

Merle stood up. "Yeah. Ya and Carol are still virgins, ain't tha' nice?" He chuckled, but soon trailed off when he saw the rage on Daryl's face. He began to back up. "Jus' fer the record, little brother, ya could never rape tha' girl. She'd want yer dick anytime."

Daryl's fist clenched. "You motherfucker!" He stalked closer.

Merle had never seen him this angry. He raised his hands, hoping to placate him somewhat. "Listen, Daryl-"

"I'm gonna fuckin' kill you!"

Shit.

Daryl lunged at him.  
\--------------------------------------------  
She was never going to drink again! Her head was pounding and the cool tiles under cheek weren't helping it at all.

She had been in the bathroom all morning and had emptied her stomach three times already. What exactly was the appeal of drinking? Sure, being drunk was kind of fun, but she couldn't remember anything from the night before.

She remembered chugging down bottle after bottle of beer with Daryl and then nothing. She couldn't remember a single thing. Didn't even remember Milton helping her into bed. The only thing that indicated he had been there last night was the note under the glass of water and aspirin by her bed.

God, she hoped she hadn't done anything too embarrassing in front of Daryl.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Milton pulled into the Dixon's driveway that Sunday afternoon and was getting out of his car just as Merle rode up on his motorcycle. Parking next to the car, he swung his leg over his bike and greeted Milton.

"Wha' brings ya here?" He asked.

"Daryl and I have a project, remember?" He head disappeared into the backseat, reaching back to grab his bag and then slammed the door shut. "I just wanted to make a quick check on our plants, before-" He paused, finally getting a good look at Merle's face. "What happened to you?"

Merle sported a large shiner on his right eye, a bruised left cheek and a swollen split lip.

"Daryl's wha' happened." He muttered.

Milton crossed his arms over his chest. "What did you do to him?"

The older man rubbed the back of his head and looked away from the young man in front of him. "Uh, I may have told him tha' him and Carol...bumped uglies."

"What?!" Milton flung his arms down. "Why would you do that?"

Merle shrugged. "I jus' wanted to fuck wit' him. Course the boy had to take it too far. Thought tha' he raped the poor girl."

Milton ran a hand through his hair. "Poor Daryl." He muttered, feeling sorry for his friend. Even though he hadn't known Daryl that long, he could tell that he didn't think much of himself. He probably couldn't see that Carol was in love with him; thinking that he wasn't good enough for her. He could never rape her. He couldn't do anything to hurt her.

Merle slipped his hands in his pockets and continued speaking. "Well, now I know tha' I shouldn't fuck wit' him like tha'. Carol is a very touchy subject wit' him. When I told him it was all a joke, I've never seen tha' boy so mad. I bet all he saw was red when he flew towards me like a bat straight outta hell."

"You deserved it, Merle." He looked around. "Speaking of Daryl, where is he?" He figured that he would have heard his car pull in and would have been out to meet him by now.

"Las' I saw him, he had grabbed his bow and went out to hunt an hour ago. Ya didn' tell him ya was stoppin' by?"

Milton shook his head. "I just wanted to check on our plants real quick before I had to go out to dinner with my parents. I figured one of you would be home." He clutched the strap to his messenger bag. "Do you mind if I go and check them out?"

Merle swept his arm in front of him. "Be my guest. I'm jus' gonna hang out here and smoke." He reached behind him and into one of the bags on his bike and took out a pack of cigarettes. He took one out and offered it to Milton. "Want one?"

He shook his head. "No, thank you."

"Come on, man." Merle complained, sticking the cigarette between his lips and lighting it. "Wha' kind of man are ya? Ya didn' even take a sip of beer the other night. Well, ya did, but ya pansy ass spit it right back out."

"I'm a smart man, that doesn't plan on dying because of liver disease or lung cancer." He stated matter-of-factly, then turned away from the redneck and headed towards the shed.  
\-----------------------------------------  
It had been an hour since he had gone out hunting and he had yet to catch a thing. It probably didn't help that he was stomping through the trees making all types of noise. Any type of meat could probably hear him from a mile out and scurried into hiding.

This trip into the woods was more of a way to be alone with his thoughts, than actually being a hunting trip. He was still so mad.

What the fuck had his brother been thinking when he decided to tell Daryl that him and Carol had sex? Did he think that he would have jumped for joy and drive to her house for a round two? He obviously didn't know him at all.

He thought about the ass-kicking he had given Merle and smirked. His brother had been so shocked when he had landed that first punch. By then it had been too late and Daryl had been all over him, kicking and punching. He had never been so angry and he would have most-likely seriously injured him, if he hadn't started to get dizzy.

He had gotten up on unsteady feet, leaving Merle groaning on the ground and headed inside and into the bathroom where he threw up. After throwing up all the contents of his stomach, he had stumbled to his bed and laid down. He had passed out immediately, despite the fact that he had no pillow or blanket.

The next morning, he had woken up, still angry, but instead of taking it out on Merle...again, he grabbed his crossbow and headed out to the woods.

Still empty-handed, Daryl found himself by the creek and the Cherokee Roses. Instantly, he was reminded of Carol and groaned. How was he going to face her tomorrow? What if she had remembered more than him and he had actually tried to do something?

He knew he couldn't avoid her. She would not be happy if she found out and she would find out. This was Carol, after all.

With one last glance at the roses, he shouldered his crossbow and started back home.  
\--------------------------------------  
Merle was working on his bike when Daryl walked into the yard. Anger surged through his body at the sight of his older brother. Yep, he was still fucking pissed at him.

Merle sat up and looked at his little brother. "Ya jus' missed yer pal, Milton. He was here checkin' them damn plants of yers."

"Fuck you."

"I see ya still mad." He went back to work on his bike. "Well, if ya is headin' inside can ya at least toss me tha' wrench over there?"

Daryl glanced around and saw the tool. It laid in the gravel between him and the house. He supposed he could hand it to Merle. Peeking over, he saw that his brother was preoccupied with his bike. His hands were working on the engine and he was sitting facing the machine, legs crossed and crotch wide open.

Smirking, he picked up the slightly rusted tool. "Here ya go, Merle." And he tossed it at the older man.

Merle hadn't been ready, his gaze focused on the bike in front of him, so when he turned and saw the object flying towards him he panicked. He tried to grab at it, but missed and the next thing he knew his whole body was radiating with the worst kind of pain as the heavy tool landed on the most treasured part of his body; his dick.

He grabbed himself and roared. "Fuck, bro! Jus' cuz ya don' use them doesn't mean I don'!" He laid flat on his back, still grabbing himself. "How am I supposed to show that fiery farmer's girl a good time, now?"

Daryl chuckled to himself as he walked in the house. He figured him and Merle were even now.  
\-------------------------------  
The next day, Daryl found himself sitting at their usual lunch table, fingers drumming against the wood and waited for Carol. He hadn't seen her all day and was nervous about finally talking to her after the events of the other day.

Looking up, he saw her and Milton approaching him. He took a deep breath and tried calming himself.

"Hey, Daryl." She smiled and took her seat.

That was a good sign, right? If she was mad at him, then she wouldn't be smiling at him. Right?

Just then, her gaze flickered down to his hand and her smile vanished. He began to panic. What was wrong?

She grabbed his hand and grazed a thumb over his knuckles, gently. His scabbed over knuckles. Her head lifted and she looked up at him, concern filling her pretty blue eyes.

"What happened?"

Milton shifted nervously next to her, but she didn't notice.

Daryl tried to smile and not focus too much on the feel of her hand on his. "Ya should see the other guy."

She rolled her eyes. "Merle?"

He nodded.

She let go of his hand, crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "I thought you guys were finally getting along."

He slid his hands off the table and placed them in his lap, suddenly self-conscious of them. "We was and then he had to go and do somethin' stupid."

"Like what?"

Daryl glanced over at Milton and noticed the way he was avoiding his gaze. He knew something. Had Merle told him what he had done?

"Daryl? What did he do?" She wasn't going to let this go, but he was stubborn too and there was no way in hell he was going to tell her what Merle had done to make him so angry.

No way in hell.

So, he just shrugged. "Ya know Merle. He's always doin' somethin' stupid."

"Uh huh." Her eyes were narrowed now, her mouth pursed. She didn't believe him, he could tell. "Well, I hope he doesn't do anymore stupid things to you, then."

"Yeah." He agreed.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

After lunch, Daryl and Carol went their separate ways; Milton followed her, though, since his class was on the way. She couldn't hide the smile that came to her face. Perfect. Now she could talk to Milton alone.

"So, Milton." She started as they walked side-by-side. "It seems that you and Merle have become...friends."

Milton began to fidget with his glasses, clearly nervous. "Um, I suppose I am as close to a friend that Merle has." He got an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I didn't see you drinking the other night, like me and Daryl." She continued, nonchalantly. Like they were talking about the weather.

"I don't like the taste of beer." He tried quickening his step; Carol matched his pace.

"Merle does, though. I only saw him drink one bottle." She turned her head to look at him, brow furrowed in confusion. "That's kind of odd, isn't it?"

He adjusted the strap of his messenger bag. "I suppose."

"Well, since you both were sober, did you see me or Daryl do anything embarrassing?"

Milton shook his head and kept his lips sealed. From what he knew, Carol hadn't done anything that would have embarrassed her. Then again, he and Merle had left the two of them there for several minutes and they had wound up in the back of Daryl's truck. He had no way of knowing what occurred in the space of time in between that.

Carol sighed an almost inaudible sigh of relief. "That's good. Now," she moved quickly and stopped in front of him, causing him to come to a sudden halt. "What did Merle do to Daryl to make him kick his ass?"

He gulped. This was it. He was going to die. If he told her what Merle had done, Daryl would kill him. But if he didn't tell her, then he didn't know what she would do to him.

Straightening his spine, he pushed his glasses further up his nose and made a decision. "I have no idea what Merle did to Daryl. Maybe it really was just nothing?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't believe you." She shrugged, turned around and continued walking. "Fine, I guess I'm just going to have to ask Merle then."

"What?" He cried and hurried after her.

"Yep." She declared over her shoulder. "I'm going to be giving Merle Dixon a little visit today. I'm sure he'll tell me what I want to know."

"B-but," he stuttered. "How are you going to do that without Daryl finding out?"

She smiled over at him. He didn't like that smile.

"That's where you come in, Milton."  
\--------------------------------------------  
School ended for the day and Carol was at her locker putting away her unneeded books. She was about to shut her locker and walk away, when an arm shot out and leaned against a nearby locker. Looking up at the owner of the arm, all she wanted to do was walk away.

Ed Peletier smirked down at her. "Hey, Carol." He turned, now with his back against the locker and arms crossed in front of him. "Has that hick friend of yours asked you to prom yet?"

"No." She turned and walked away. Ed fell in step beside her and she groaned. He was the last person she wanted to talk to today. Hell, he was the last person she wanted to talk to ever.

"That's a shame." He continued, ignoring her obvious attempts to get away from him. "Pretty thing like you deserves a date."

Stopping in her tracks, she turned and glared at him. "What if I told you that I didn't want to go to prom? Would you leave me alone?"

"Not a chance." He smirked. "And I also know that you're lying. You want to go to Prom, but your redneck trash of a 'friend' doesn't have the balls to ask you. Psh, I don't even know why you would say yes, even if he did."

She clenched her fists in anger. "Do you have a point in this whole damn conversation, Ed, or are you really just trying to annoy the hell out of me?"

"I do have a point, actually."

"And it is?"

"I just wanted to inform you that if you want to go to prom with a real man, just let me know. I'm available." His grin widened. "But I'm letting you know now, I won't be for long." He winked at her and then turned to walk away, not even giving her a chance to answer.

It was going to be a big fat 'no'. Maybe she would have channeled Daryl and told him 'fuck no', instead. Yeah, she smiled to herself, that's what she would tell him the next time his arrogant ass decided to ask her.  
\--------------------------------------  
Milton's hands grew sweaty just at the thought of lying to Daryl. He wasn't a good liar and knew, without a doubt, that Daryl would see through his lies. But he didn't know he was more scared of at the moment. Daryl or...Carol.

Carol could be, and was, sweet and funny most of the time, but he knew she could be manipulative. He was living proof of that. He would never be doing what he was doing now, if it hadn't been for her 'persuading'.

He waited by the exit to the parking lot and didn't notice when Daryl stood in front of him.

"Hey." He said.

Milton jumped, not expecting him to be there. He hadn't even had time to rehearse what he was going to say.

"O-oh, hey." His kept his gaze away from the blue eyes of his friend.

"Where's Carol?" Daryl adjusted the strap on his backpack and looked around. She was usually waiting here for him, if she wasn't at his locker.

"Um, I think she rode the bus today. She said she had to get a home a little earlier today." He was surprised by how easily the lie fell off his tongue.

"Oh, she didn' tell me she was going to do tha'." Daryl was confused. Carol always hitched a ride home with him and if she didn't then she told him beforehand.

"She must have forgotten too." Milton adjusted his glasses. "S-So, I was wondering if maybe we could meet at my house today and go over the data we have so far."

Daryl nodded. "Now?"

"Yes, if that's alright with you."

"Sure. I'll follow you then." He went to push open the door, but Milton stopped him.

"U-Uh, I have to go and get something really fast for...my mom. If I give you the address, can you find it?"

He nodded again.

"Alright." So, he told him where he lived and the two walked out to the parking lot, going to their separate ways to get to their cars.

Finding his car among the many that were left, Milton found Carol waiting for him. Just like she said she was going to do.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked, climbing into his car. "You don't even know if Merle is going to tell you anything."

Carol shut the door on her side and clicked on her seatbelt. "Daryl's been acting weird lately. I want to know why, but he won't tell me. Merle has a big mouth. I'm sure he'll tell me something."

"That's what I am afraid of." He muttered.  
\---------------------------------  
Milton dropped her off at the Dixon house, but called out the window before he left. "How are you going to get home?"

Carol glanced at Merle's bike, a small smile playing on her lips. She was going to ride that thing again.

"Merle will give me a ride." She started walked towards the house, but remembered something and turned around. "Oh, can you try and keep Daryl at your house until I call and tell you I'm home. I don't want him to know of my little chat with his big brother."

Milton nodded, reluctantly. "Okay."

"Good." She smiled. "I'll see you later!"  
\--------------------------------  
Merle sat on his usual spot in the living room, watching TV. Like always. He never really though about it much but his life was fuckin' boring. Maybe he would go out later tonight to that bar outside of town; maybe that girl would be there. Maybe he would bring her home and... He shifted in his seat and felt a sharp pain shoot up from his groin.

Fuckin' Daryl and his stupid fuckin' wrench! He had bruised the shit out of his junk. It was basically useless now. He couldn't show that girl a good time until it stopped hurting to move.

Next time Daryl got drunk he wasn't going to tell him he had sex. Nope. He had fuckin' learned his lesson the first time.

Just then someone knocked on the door. Merle stared at it and groaned. There was no way in hell he was going to get up and answer it. Besides, who the fuck was knocking on their door? No one ever visited them.

"Merle! I know you're in there! Open the door!"

Carol?

He sat up straighter and hissed at the pain. What the hell was Carol doing here? Daryl wasn't home, knew that for sure since he hadn't heard the truck pull in.

"Come in!" He shouted at her and moments later the doorknob turned, the door creaked open and sunlight flooded into the dark room. She stood there, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness, and turned to shut the door.

"So, ya finally found out ya couldn't resist ol' Merle, eh?" He smirked at her.

Rolling her eyes in exasperation, she crossed her arms over her chest and replied. "No. I just came over to talk." Her eyes adjusted more to the darkness and she got a better look at Merle's face. Daryl really had done a number on him. It looked like he had a black eye, which was in the yellowing stages, along with the other bruise on his cheek. There also seemed to be a cut on his lip. She was surprised that Daryl had only gotten away with bloody knuckles. He must have been pissed and that made her want to know what had gone on more than ever.

"A'right. Go on and talk, girlie." Reaching for the controller, he turned off the TV and gave her his full attention. If she wanted to talk to him without Daryl around, then it must be about something important.

"What happened to your face?"

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "Daryl's wha' happened."

"Uh-huh." She walked closer, took a seat on the couch and turned her body to face him. "And what did you do to deserve a beating like that?"

Who says I did anythin'?" He huffed.

"I'm sure Daryl wouldn't just beat your ass for the hell of it. He's not you."

"Yer damn right he ain't me. If he was anythin' like me he'd be fuckin' ya already!"

Carol blushed. "He doesn't want me like that, Merle, and you know it! We're just friends."

Merle began to laugh hysterically and she briefly wondered if he had been dipping into his stash.

"Ya claim to be his best friend and ya haven't noticed?" He finally spoke between cackles.

"Noticed what?" Curious, she inched closer to him.

"The way tha' boy looks at ya. Hell, if eyes could undress someone, ya would be walkin' around here without a stitch on."

Her face began to flame even more. "Shut up, Merle. You don't know what you're talking about!"

"And this," he gestured to her with his arm. "Is why ya'll haven't gotten anywhere. Ya both keep fuckin' denyin' everythin'! Jesus." He was actually starting to sound angry.

"Can we," she took a deep breath. "Can we stop talking about this? All I want to know, is why Daryl got so mad at you. Was it because something happened Friday night while we were drunk?"

"Fuck, nothin' happened that night. Ya two are the most boringest drunks I've seen!" He crossed his arms over his chest. "Look, all I'm gonna tell ya is tha' I may have fucked wit' him a little too much and it's gonna jus; between me and him."

"And Milton, too?"

He nodded. "And Milty, too."

"Fine." She stood up. "If you don't want to tell me what you did then I guess I won't tell you what Beth Greene told me her sister said about you."

It had been a little odd when the blonde-haired sophomore walked up to her in the hall and asked if she was friends with a Daryl Dixon. It had even been odder when she had proceeded to tell her about what her sister thought of a one Merle Dixon.

"Wait!" He shot up from the couch and nearly bent over in pain. Damn dick. "Wha' she say 'bout me?"

Carol shrugged, hand on the doorknob. "I don't know. What did you tell Daryl?"

"Jesus, woman," he ran a hand through his hair. "Ya know how to manipulate a man."

She took a step away from the door. "So you're going to tell me what you did?"

"Fine." He dropped back on the couch. "I told him that he had sex wit' ya while ya guys were wasted."

"What?!"

"Yeah, he totally freaked the fuck out."

"He freaked out?" Tears pricked her eyes and she backed up until her back hit the door. She knew Daryl didn't like her like that and just the thought of possibly being with her like that freaked him out.

"Yeah. I think the boy was even 'bout to cry."

"He was?" Her hand searched blindly for the door handle again. She needed to get out of there. She didn't want to hear anymore.

Merle looked over at her then and saw that she seemed to be in distress. It all suddenly clicked and he was on his feet.

"Naw, girl, it ain't like that." He raised, what he hoped, was a comforting hand. "He was freakin' out cuz he thought he had raped you or some shit like that."

Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she looked up at him. "He thought he had raped me?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yep, and when I told him it was all a joke he came at me like a fuckin' demon." He ran a hand gently over his face. "Surprised the bastard didn' break my nose. Nearly broke my nuts when he threw a fuckin' wrench at me yesterday."

She tried to stifle a laugh but failed. Merle glared at her.

"It ain't funny. I had fuckin' plans for..." He gestured to his crotch. "But he went and fucked it all up."

Carol rolled her eyes. "I guess you know now not to mess with Daryl. Especially since it's very clear that he can kick your ass."

"Pft! I let him win. Figured I deserved it after the shit I put him through."

"Uh-huh, Merle." She nodded her head slowly. "Whatever you say."

"Shit, woman, I've got a bruised dick! Can ya at least pretend tha' ya believe me. Jesus, tha' boy has a mean right hook, though."

She giggled. "Well, it was nice chatting with you, Merle. You can take me home now."

"What? I gotta take ya ass home too? Fuck no. What part of 'I got a bruised dick' did ya not understand. If I ride that thing it's gonna hurt like a motherfucker."

"So you would have me walk home?"

"Hell yes!"

"Alright then." She opened the door. "I guess I'll just tell Beth to tell her sister that Merle Dixon got his ass beat by his 'baby' brother."

"Jesus fuckin' Christ!" He yelled. "How does Daryl even fuckin' put up wit' you?"

She shrugged, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Defeated, he sighed. "Fine. I'll get my damn keys."  
\---------------------------------------  
Carol couldn't help the smug smile on her face as her and Merle roared down the road on his bike. She loved this thing.

Tightening her grip around his waist, she couldn't help but wish that it was Daryl she was clinging to. And if she had been paying attention to the road, she would have noticed when they passed a red mustang.  
\--------------------------------------  
Daryl's stomach growled and knew that it was about time he headed home. Not like they would have much in their fridge. Merle's lazy ass probably ate all the good stuff anyways. Maybe him and Carol could go and grab something... He immediately shot that idea down, it sounded too much like a date. He pushed the papers, that were in front of him on the table, away. "I think it's time I head home."

"What?" Milton looked up from the doodle he had been drawing on a spare piece of paper. Even he had started to get bored of looking at graphs and data.

"I should head home."

Milton looked around frantically. Carol hadn't called yet. Daryl couldn't leave yet. He had to think of something. Needed to say something to keep him in his dining room a little longer.

"Uh...wait!" He set his pencil down. "I, uh, wanted to ask you a question before you left."

Think, Milton, think!

"Wha'?" Daryl settled back down in his chair and only looked slightly suspicious of him.

"Um..." Got it. "Did you know that prom was in 2 weeks?"

"Yeah." His eyes narrowed. "Is tha' all you wanted to ask me?"

"N-No. I do have a point." He fidgeted in his chair. "So, do you plan on taking Carol to prom?"

He snorted. "Do ya think I would ever go to somethin' like tha'? Can ya even see me in a fuckin' tux?"

Milton shook his head. "I just thought that Carol would like to go and you would be the one to take her. You are her closest guy friend, after all."

"Well, I ain't takin' her." He looked at him, a plan forming in his head. "Maybe ya can."

"W-What?" He stuttered.

"If she really wants to go, maybe ya can take her. I'm sure she would love to go wit' ya."

"Really?" He never thought he would ever hear that a girl would be happy to go with him anywhere. The thought that someone would going to prom with Carol brought a smile to his face.

"Yeah." Daryl nodded, grabbing the pencil Milton had abandoned earlier and began his own doodle. "She considers you a good friend, too."

"Yeah?"

Just then the phone rang and he got up to answer it. It was Carol telling him that she had made it home. That was all she told him before they said good-bye. He'd have to ask her if Merle had told her anything tomorrow.

When he returned to the room, Daryl was standing up and now shouldered his bag.

"I'm gonna leave now." He said. "So, I'll see ya tomorrow?"

Milton nodded. "Okay."

"Maybe ya can talk to Carol 'bout tha' prom thing, tomorrow? She's gonna have to pick a dress and shit. I'm sure she'd like to have all the time she can get." Fuck, he knew some girls spent months preparing for this damn dance.

Milton fought back the smile that threatened to break out on his face at the obvious concern Daryl was having for Carol.

"Okay, I will."

He nodded. "A'right. See ya tomorrow." He turned and left the room before Milton could reply back to him. Clearly, the conversation had made him slightly uncomfortable.

Milton knew Daryl had it bad.  
\----------------------------------  
Carol moved to dismount the bike, when they pulled into her driveway, but Merle stopped her by grabbing her wrist.

He turned off the engine of the motorcycle so he could be better heard. "Don' think ya can jus' leave and not tell me wha' my girl said 'bout me."

She planted her hands on her hips. "Your girl, Merle?"

"Fuck. Ya heard me. Now, wha' did she say?"

She rolled my eyes. "Beth told me that she said you were interesting."

"That's it?"

"Nope." She smirked.

"For cryin' out loud, girl, tell me. I prob'bly can't get laid for a month cuz of ya, so the least ya can do is let me know everythin' she said!"

She chuckled. "Alright. She also said you were good-looking, she must have been pretty drunk if you ask me."

"Hey!" Merle protested.

She patted his arm. "I was just playing, Merle. You're plenty handsome."

"Really?"

"No." She winked.

"Ya best get ya ass inside before I kick it there." He grumbled moving to start up his bike.

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, the unbruised one. "Thanks for the ride, Merle. And don't forget to ice when you get home!" Then she raced to her house.

Merle started the engine and while it roared to life, he muttered, "Daryl is sure gonna have his hands full wit' tha' one."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Merle was acting strange. Well, stranger than he normally did. The moment Daryl had walked through the door, returning from Milton's house, he had been smiling at him from the couch.

Merle hardly ever smiled, unless he had just gotten laid...or he had something in store for his little brother. After the wrench incident he was sure it wasn't because of the former.

As he walked by him, he couldn't help but hunch his back, preparing for the blows that were sure to come his way.

Nothing happened.

In his doorway, he stopped and turned around to face his problem. The damn fool was still smiling and it was starting to creep him out.

"What?" He growled.

"Nothin'." Merle shrugged and turned back to the TV. "Jus' happy yer home, is all."  
\--------------------------------------  
Carol walked out of her door early the next morning and was surprised to find a silver car idling in her driveway.

Milton stuck his head out of the window and smiled. "Hey, Carol." he greeted.

"Hey, Milton." She stopped outside of his window and peered down at him, her brow furrowed in slight confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was wondering if I could give you a ride to school? Unless, you're waiting for Daryl or something."

"No." She shook her head. "I usually ride the bus in the morning."

"Alright then, hop in."

She smiled at him and walked around the car to get into the passenger's seat, settling her book bag at her feet.

Adjusting his rearview mirror, Milton began to back up his car into the street. He didn't talk to her until he was safely driving on the road.

Carol had to stifle a giggle at his cautiousness, she couldn't even count the number of times Daryl had almost hit her mailbox while the two of them were in the car. In fact, she had actually backed up into it once, when Daryl had let her drive his truck.

He hadn't let her drive it since.

"So, how come Daryl doesn't take you to school? I figured since he drives you home everyday he picked you up as well." Milton kept his gaze focused on the road in front of him.

"Well, sometimes Daryl runs a little late in the mornings. The man gets up at the crack of dawn on the weekends but on school days that isn't the case. So, I told him that I would ride the bus so that he doesn't have to worry about picking me up and getting to school on time."

"How come you don't have a car?" His face immediately began to turn red. "I-I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

She shrugged. "I don't mind. It's just I haven't really gotten around to asking my dad for one." She chuckled. "I bet you're probably wondering what kind of teenager I am. The subject just doesn't come up. I don't talk to my dad often and when I do I usually try not to ask him for stuff. There are better things to talk about, I guess."

Milton laughed softly. "You must be the perfect daughter."

"Yep." She quipped. "I am."  
\----------------------------------  
Pulling into a parking spot, Milton turned off his car, but didn't move to get out. Instead he shifted in his seat so he could better face and talk to Carol.

"Um, there was a reason why I decided to pick you up this morning." He fidgeted slightly in his seat.

Carol looked at him expectantly.

"Well, as you probably know, Prom is in two weeks." He paused and waited for her to speak.

She smiled. "It's not like there isn't any fliers all around school or anything." Every corkboard in school was plastered with brightly colored fliers screaming at the students to vote for their next prom queen and king.

"Uh yes. Anyways, I was wondering if you would go with me. Unless, of course, you plan on going with someone else. Like Daryl."

Carol snorted, which sounded a little odd coming from her. "Can you really see Daryl at prom?"

He shook his head. That was the same thing Daryl had asked him.

"I knew that Daryl would never have asked me. He doesn't do school dances, if you couldn't already tell." She chuckled. "Tried getting him to go with me to our eighth grade dance. Nope."

"So, will you go with me?" He sounded hopeful and then immediately began to backtrack. "I-I mean, I'm o-only asking as a f-friend."

Carol laughed softly and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I know." She turned, opened the door to her side and climbed out.

"Good." Milton smiled. "Daryl would kill me if I had any other intentions."

Carol's head poked back in the car, startling him slightly. "Wait. What did you just say? Daryl will what...?"

"Uh..." He paused for a moment, his mind racing. "I, uh, I didn't say Daryl's name." Smooth, Mamet, real smooth.

"Oh. I thought I heard his name." Her brow furrowed. "I guess I must be hearing things." Her head disappeared from the open window.

Milton scrambled out of the car to follow her.  
\------------------------------------  
Daryl was running late again. He blamed Merle. It was always his fault. Always trying to talk to him about stupid shit. This time he was going on and on about some girl named... Madison? No, Maggie. To say he didn't care was an understatement. Merle was forever talking about women he met at the bar he went to. The only weird thing about this particular girl is that he had been talking about her for a couple weeks. Merle never stayed on one woman for long.

Shaking his brother out of his head, he made his way to his first class and sat in the seat, right as the bell rang.  
\-----------------------------------  
"Yo, Dixon."

Daryl didn't even turn around. Ed Peletier was the last person he wanted to talk to. All he wanted to do was beat the guy's ass.

"Dixon!" This time he was right beside him. "Come on, man, slow your roll."

He side-eyed him. "Fuck off." He growled.

"Whoa, hick." He stepped in front of him, causing Daryl to almost run into him. "I just wanted to tell you something you might wanna know."

"Are ya deaf, pretty boy, I said fuck off." He moved to walk around him. He may have bumped into his shoulder. Gently, of course.

"Fine, I guess you don't want to know about me seeing your brother and Carol together yesterday."

This stopped Daryl in his tracks. Merle and Carol together? Was that why Merle had been acting all strange yesterday, smiling at him and shit.

"Yep, I saw them riding his bike together." Ed stepped up next to him. "And when I drove by her house I saw Carol kiss him."

"What?" He snarled and turned to him. He was angry. He was...upset. Carol had kissed Merle?

"Sorry, man. I thought I would tell in case you wanted to get with her or something." Ed didn't look sorry at all. Actually, he looked quite smug.

"I think you are fuckin' lyin'."

Ed shrugged. "Whatever you say. But I'm sure if you ask her then she'll let you know." With that he turned and walked away from him.

He was not going to ask her about it. He did not want to know what she was doing with Merle behind his back. She could do whatever she wanted. She wasn't his. And if she wanted to be with Merle then that was fine with him.

It was fuckin' fine with him!

God, he just wanted to punch something...or someone. Where did Ed go?  
\----------------------------------------  
Carol saw Daryl at his locker before his science class. She smiled and moved to talk to him, but stopped short when a pretty blonde girl walked up to him instead.

She tapped him on the shoulder and smiled, surprisingly he smiled back. Then she handed him a small slip of paper, said something and walked off.

Her heart dropped at the scene. Daryl still had not taken his eyes off the pretty blonde. She was about to turn and walk away, but Daryl looked in her direction and they made eye contact.

She had no choice but to force a smile and walk up to him.

"Hey, Daryl."

"Hey." He grunted and shoved his science book into his bag. The slip of paper still in his hand.

"Who was that girl just talking to you?" She tried to sound like she didn't care, but in the inside she just wanted to rip the girl's hair out. Normally, she wasn't that violent.

"Andrea."

"Oh, I think I may have had a class with her. She seems nice." She gritted out the last part.

"I guess." He slammed the door to his locker shut and began walking away.

"Hey!" She called after him, shocked that he would just walk away from her. There was definitely something wrong. Grabbing his arm, she tried to stop him.

He wrenched his arm free. "Sorry. Can't stay and chat. I'm gonna be late for class."  
\----------------------------------------  
Daryl all but threw the note at Milton when he walked into class. "Some blonde chick wanted me to give this too."

"What?" Milton stared at the paper as if it had just grown legs. "Andrea?"

"Yeah, ya heard me."

Glancing over at his friend, Milton automatically knew there was something bothering him. But he didn't know if he should ask what was wrong. Daryl didn't seem like he was in the mood to talk. So, he opted to open the note instead.

 _Will you go to prom with me?_ Was written in loopy cursive across the slip of paper and on the bottom she had signed her name.

He was shocked. Andrea wanted to go to prom with him? They had only spoken maybe twice and plus, she would have been better suited for someone on the football team. Preferably the quarterback, not a science nerd like him. Was this all a joke?

She seemed nice, though. Why else would she have stopped to talk to him those few days ago?

He wanted to crumple the note up, not that he didn't want it because he did, but because it was just his luck. He had just asked Carol to prom this morning, wanting to be a good friend, and now a pretty girl wanted to go with him. What was he going to do?  
\---------------------------------  
Milton walked up their lunch table to find Carol sitting there alone and with a brief glance across the courtyard he saw Daryl sitting against a tree. Alone.

"What's Daryl doing over there?" He asked and took his seat.

Carol shrugged. "I don't know. He's been acting strange all day." On a closer inspection of her face it looked like she wanted to cry.

"Why?"

"I don't know." She took a deep breath. "He won't tell me anything. I went over there, thinking that maybe he wanted to sit in the grass to eat, but he told me to go away. Said he wanted to be by himself."

Milton agreed that there was something wrong with Daryl. In science class, he had barely spoken to him. In fact, the moment class let out he was out of his chair and out of the classroom before Milton could gather all his papers.

He looked over at the clearly angry redneck, then to his distressed best friend and stuck his hand in his pocket to feel Andrea's note.

Today was not going to be a good day.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Lunch was awkward. Neither one of them said a word. Carol nibbled on the sandwich in her hand, while the other one remained in the bag and he had opened his science book to begin taking notes for the upcoming science test.

He couldn't help but sneak glances at his friend beside him and noticed that she kept glancing over at Daryl, still sitting alone. It seemed like Daryl was making it a point not to look over at them. He was keeping his gaze on his pants as he fiddled with the frayed edges of the hole in his knee.

Milton didn't like this. Carol and Daryl were close. Carol and Daryl were in love, even if neither one of them would admit it. Whatever had them acting this way needed to stop.

 _Now._  
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Carol threw away the rest of her lunch, uneaten sandwich and everything. If Daryl wasn't going to eat it, then there was no way she was going to save it.

With Milton by her side, she looked over her shoulder to see if she could still see Daryl. Yep. She could. He was still sitting by that tree, but this time his eyes were on her. The moment they made eye contact his eyes skirted away and he made a move to stand up.

He stomped by her and Milton, not saying one word.

Tears sprang to her eyes as she watched his retreating form. Was he mad at her because of what she had said about Andrea? She knew she hadn't said anything bad, but could he sense that she had wanted to? Could he tell that she had been jealous?

All those different questions reeled through her mind and she felt like she was going to vomit.

"Carol, are you okay?" Milton stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"Oh, y-yeah. I'm fine." She smiled at him and tried to not make it look fake. "Thanks for asking. Now, come on. We're going to be late to class if we don't hurry."  
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Carol and Merle?

He slammed the door to his locker, slung his book bag over his shoulder and headed towards the parking lot. Even though Ed had told him about his brother and Carol several hours earlier, it was still eating away at his mind.

He knew he should have just asked her about it, in case Ed had been telling a load of bullshit. But then there was that niggling part of his brain that feared that Ed was telling the truth. He couldn't bear the thought of Carol and Merle together. He was supposed to be the Dixon that she got with.

If she had wanted to, that is.

Fuck, he needed to stop thinking like that. Climbing into his truck, he sat there for a moment and felt guilty. Carol always got a ride with him and now he was just going to leave her at school. But he knew if he had her in the same small place as him, he would start asking questions and demanding answers from her.

Fuck it. He started the engine and pulled out of the parking spot. If she needed a ride home, she could always call up Merle. He would probably be more than happy to come and get her.  
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Carol didn't see Daryl's truck in the parking lot. Of course, he had left. Why would he have taken her home when he was clearly mad at her? It hurt, though, that he would just leave without saying anything.

Milton must have noticed what she had been looking for. Gently, he placed a hand on her arm. "I can take you home, Carol."

Holding back tears, which she seemed to have been on the verge of all day, she nodded and followed him silently.  
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Milton had had enough! It was all too painful to watch. Carol had looked like she had wanted to cry all day and Daryl had looked like he had wanted to punch someone. Inside he felt guilty. Like this was somehow entirely his fault.

Carol hadn't said one word to him, but when he sped by her street she looked at him confused.

"Um, Milton? We just passed my street."

"I know." He white-knuckled the steering wheel and stared straight ahead. "There's some unfinished business that needs to be taken care of." He couldn't help but smirk at how badass he sounded.

Merle would have been proud.  
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Daryl pulled into the driveway to find Merle once again working on his bike. Did he ever fucking leave the house? Jesus.

Slamming the truck door shut, he moved to stomp inside the house. He hoped to God, Merle didn't speak to him. He may have to find another wrench.

"Hey, baby bro!"

Fuck! Clenching his fists, he turned around and yelled. "Fuck you!" And retreated into the house.

"Christ, bro." Merle mumbled to himself. "What's got yer damn panties in a bunch?"

It wasn't five minutes later, when a second vehicle pulled into the driveway. Merle looked up from his bike and noticed right away that it was Milton.

"Hey!" He called, standing up and wiping off the grease on his hands. His eyes then landed on the person coming out of the passenger's seat.

Carol.

The duo stopped in front of the older Dixon. Carol stood slightly behind Milton and her gaze was fixed on the house.

Merle gave Milton a face that read 'What's up with her?'.

Milton mouthed. "Daryl."

"Oh." He nodded in understanding. "He did seem to be in a mood."

Carol joined the conversation then, her gaze now off the Dixon house. "Who's in a mood?"

Merle rolled his eyes. "Come on, girl. I'm pretty sure ya know who we're talkin' about."

"Daryl." Milton added helpfully.

"Oh," she said absentmindedly. "Yeah, there is something definitely wrong with him." She looked up at Merle. "And I think it's my fault."

"Now, why would ya say that? The guy practically bit my head off when he came home and I haven't done shit to him."

Carol shrugged. "He's just been very snappish with me today. When I tried to sit by him at lunch he growled at me to go away."

"That's fuckin' messed up." Merle growled. "Come on, girlie, I'm gonna make him talk to ya cuz this bein' angry at ya shit isn't right." He gently grabbed her by the arm and guided her to the door. Milton followed close behind.

Stepping through the front door, for only the second time, she took note of the darkly lit living room, scattered beer bottles and an empty plate resting on the coffee table in front of the television.

No Daryl in sight.

Merle turned and looked at her, his hand still wrapped around her bicep. "He's probably mopin' in his room."

"Um, are you sure we should go in there?" She looked up at the older Dixon. "Wouldn't that make him even madder?"

"Fuck if I care." He stopped in front an old wooden door, grasped the knob and threw the door open without knocking.

Daryl sat on his bed and looked over at the door, he didn't seem angry and looked a little defeated. "Fuck off."

"Hey, that's no way to speak to a lady." Merle's hand slid to her shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Now, are ya gonna tell us wha' the fuck is wrong wit' ya?"

Daryl's eyes focused on the hand on her shoulder and his eyes filled with rage. "Nope. Now get the fuck outta my room!"

"Sorry, baby bro." He took a step back, but pushed Carol forward. She looked back at him, startled.

"Have fun." He mouthed, before he shut the door on her.  
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Daryl swung his legs to the side of the bed and sat up, glaring at her. "So, are ya here to break the news? Merle too chicken to join ya?"

"What?" She asked, confused. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Daryl. I have no news to break to you...and neither does Merle. At least, I don't think he does."

He searched her fast, trying to detect any dishonesty with what she was saying. But he knew, that if her and Merle were really together they would both go through great lengths to hide it from him.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he turned his head to the side and focused his attention on his closet. "Ed saw you and Merle together on his bike."

"What?"

He looked at her then. "Said you two was together. He said he saw you kiss him."

"Uh, w-what?" Shocked, she took a step backwards her back hitting the door.

Daryl's heart broke when he saw her face. That was the face of someone who was guilty of something. Looked like Carol was guilty of kissing Merle.

"So, is it true? You and Merle?" He wasn't looking at her again, afraid to see the look on her face.

"No!" She cried. "Alright, I admit that I came over here after school yesterday to talk to Merle and he gave me a ride home."

"Did ya kiss him?" He looked her straight in the eyes.

The guilty look was back. "Y-Yes, on-"

"Fuck!" He cursed as he stood up. All he wanted to do was throw shit. Of course, she would kiss Merle. Who could resist his charms? Merle was the lady's man of the family and he was the awkward as hell little brother who spent most of his days in the woods.

He moved to leave the room, but Carol grabbed his arm and yanked.

"I kissed him on the cheek! Now, are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?"

Carol rarely cursed and she rarely got angry with him. One look at her face told him that she was pissed.

"You know what, Daryl? I'm tired of you acting strangely. Yesterday, you come to school with bloodied knuckles telling me you beat the shit out of Merle and when I asked why you told me that it was nothing." The grip on his arm tightened and her eyes bored into his. "It's usually the other way around. Merle beating the shit out of you for no reason. You've been more fidgety than normal and today you snapped at me. Twice. You never do that. So, what the hell is wrong with you?"

Daryl was speechless. Carol never yelled at him. They had never fought in the six years they had been best friends.

"So," Carol let go of him and put her hands on her hips. "Are you going to tell me?"

There was no way he was going to tell her that the reason why he had been more fidgety that normal was because he finally came to terms with the feelings he had for her and that his hands were always itching to touch her. He decided to go with the safe route and explain to her why he had snapped on her.

"I jus' thought you and Merle were together and tha' you were hidin' it from me."

She laughed, the anger erasing from her face. "Me and Merle? Come on, Daryl. You, of all people, should know that will never happen." She watched as he hung his head in embarrassment. "Were you- were you jealous?"

"No!" His head shot up. "Of course not! I jus' don't want ya wit' the likes of Merle. He ain't right for ya."

"Uh-huh." She poked him in the shoulder. "And who do you think is right for me?"

Me. "Uh. I don' know. Someone smart, I guess and um...handsome?" He cracked a small smile. "And Merle ain't either of those things."

"I agree with you." She chuckled. "But I think I know someone who fits that description of yours."

"You do?" Fuck.

"Yep!" She winked. "It's Milton!"

"Please, tha' boy'll pee his pants before he asks a pretty girl like you out." Realizing what he said, he blushed.

"Why, Mr. Dixon, did you just call me pretty?" There was a teasing glint in her eye. That never bode well for him.

"Uh, no." He bumped her shoulder playfully. "Ya must have been hearin' things."

"Oh." She pouted. "So, you think I'm ugly then?"

"Hell no!" The blush deepened and he could tell that his face probably looked like a fucking tomato.

Her smile widened. She was having so much fun with this. "Thank you, Daryl. You ain't so bad yourself and I know someone who probably wouldn't mind getting with you."

You? "Who?"

She smiled, but the first thing he noticed was that it didn't reach her eyes. "Andrea."

"What?" He was confused.

"Oh, you know, the girl that gave you that note earlier." She nudged him. "I bet she was asking you out, right? And you said yes, didn't you? You would have been stupid not to. She's smart, pretty, outgoing...did I say smart?" She knew she was rambling, but she couldn't stop herself. If she did, she would start crying.

"It was for Milton."

"What?"

Daryl sighed. "The note Andrea gave me was for Milton."

"Really?" She looked relieved.

He noticed. "Interestin'. Were ya jealous, by any chance?" He smirked.

"What? No!" She turned her back on him.

"Come on." He grabbed her hip and spun her around to face him, not realizing how close their faces would be. "Admit it, ya was jealous."

"Nope." She breathed. Feeling his breath on her face, made her want to take an extra step closer. "I'm not..." She moved an inch nearer, her head tilting slightly. "I'm not going to admit that I was jealous, unless you admit it first."

"Fuck that." His arm wrapped around her waist, urging her that much more closer. Were they really going to do this?

Daryl watched as Carol's eyes fluttered close, her mouth only an inch away from his. All he had to do was tilt his head slightly, close the small gap and their lips would meet.

Suddenly there was a loud knock on his door and the two jumped apart.

"Hey, you two!"

It was Merle. Daryl clenched his fists. He was going to fucking kill him!

"Me and Milty are gonna order a pizza. Is there any sort of toppin' ya'll want?"

"NO!" They both shouted back at the same time. Looking at each other, they both laughed nervously and Carol moved to sit on his bed.

"So, are we good now?"

He nodded. "Yeah."  
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Merle hung up the phone, after placing the pizza order and joined Milton on the couch.

Setting his booted feet on the coffee table, he looked over at his friend. "So, Milty, I have a question to ask ya."

Pushing up his glasses, Milton looked over at Merle. "Um, alright, you may ask."

"Well, first I'm gonna tell wha' happen to me last night." He settled into the couch. "So, I went to the bar last night-"

"Looking like that?" Milton pointed to the yellowing bruises on his face. If it had been him, he would have never set foot outside.

"Hell yeah. The ladies tend to ask me wha' happened and I give them my sob story. Tha's how I pick up my women sometimes."

"Alrighty then." Was all he said.

"Anyways," he continued. "My girl, Maggie shows, up and she's all concerned and shit. Finally I ask her out."

"You actually asked a woman out? I thought you were a one-night stand kind of guy."

"I am. But there's jus' somethin' about her. I don't wanna jus' take her home and fuck and tha' it. Well, I do wanna fuck her...but more than jus' once, if ya get wha' I'm sayin'."

Milton nodded. "You want a relationship with her."

"Yeah, yeah. I guess."

He smiled. "That's good! So, where do you plan on taking her?"

"My bedroom." At Milton's shocked face he began to cackle. "Naw, I was plannin' on takin' her out for a drink."

"At that same bar?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Merle." He sighed in exasperation. "Come on. I doubt she wants to have her first date with you at the same bar you two always go to."

Merle sat up. "Then where the fuck should I take her? I ain't the kind of guy to take her to a fuckin' candlelit dinner."

He shrugged. "I don't know. I'm most certainly no expert on dating. I don't even have a girlfriend for crying out loud!"

"Oh, come on, man!" Merle slapped him hard on the shoulder. "I saw ya and tha' blonde girl makin' eyes at each other. She wanted the 'D'."

The note she had given him was still in his pocket and he couldn't help but smile. He couldn't help but be confused. What was the 'D'? Looking over at Merle's smirking face, he wasn't so sure he wanted to know.

"Hm, maybe you could borrow Daryl's truck and have some sort of picnic in the bed of it. I don't know. Gaze at the stars...?"

"Huh." He was in thought. "Ya know...I think I'll do tha'!" He slapped him again on the shoulder. There was definitely going to be a bruise there. "Thanks, bro!"

"Uh, no problem." He rubbed at his sore arm.

Merle leaned back against the couch and crossed his ankles. "So, they've been in there a long time. Ya think they havin' sex?"


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"So, do you think the pizza is here yet?" Carol nudged his leg as they sat next to each other on his bed.

Carol was in his bed. That had been the only thing running through his mind the past ten minutes they had been sitting in silence. That and the fact that they had almost kissed. Damn Merle and his interruptions! Daryl sure as fuck didn't bang on his brother's door when he had a woman in his room and he sure as hell didn't bang on his door to ask what kind of toppings they wanted on a pizza.

"I don't know." He mumbled. "Ya can get up and check." He bumped her shoulder with his and smirked.

"Why me?" She frowned. "You have legs and this is your house. I'm a guest here."

"I don't feel like gettin' up, that's why!" His hand brushed her thigh and he felt like he had been burned. His face surely was at how fast he had jerked his hand away. Hopefully Carol hadn't noticed.

"What makes you think I want to get up?" She bounced slightly on his mattress. "Besides, your bed is quite comfortable. Are you sure you don't have the most comfortable bed this side of Georgia instead of Merle?" She teased.

I don't know. Maybe we should test it out... He bit his lips to prevent those words from tumbling out. Jesus, he had been hanging out with Merle way too much. So, he shrugged instead of speaking.

"Well, I'm not that hungry anyway."

"Ya lazy ass jus' don't wanna get up."

"That too." She playfully threw one of her legs over his. He jumped at the contact, when their shins met.

What was this girl doing to him? He was about to reach for one of his pillows to put in his lap if her thigh didn't stop rubbing against his.

Almost as if she had read his mind, she took her leg of his and sat Indian style. Now, only her knee rested on his thigh and that didn't bother him as much.

"So, Milton asked me to prom." She folded her hands in her lap and looked at him.

"Yeah?" He peeked at her from under the fringe of his hair. "And did ya say yes?"

"Of course!" She smiled. "He was so nervous when he asked me. I had to say yes."

"You're not upset that I didn't ask ya, are ya?" His thumb was making his way towards his mouth, but he forced himself to stop it.

She laughed. "And who said I wanted you to ask me, Dixon? I was actually secretly hoping that that sexy Rick Grimes would ask me, but he's already going with Lori."

"Really?" Daryl felt jealousy starting to boil in his stomach. He hadn't even considered Rick fuckin' Grimes or, hell, even his best friend Shane. They were both good-looking and friendly, from what he had seen of them anyways. They would have been perfect for Carol.

His fears were quickly diminished when Carol shoved him playfully. "Of course not! I mean, they seem nice and all, but I don't think I would go to prom with them. I don't know them well enough."

"Hmph," he snorted. "Since when did ya have to know someone well enough to go to prom wit' them? All ya do is dance wit' him right?"

"Well, yeah..." she smirked. "But do you know what happens after prom?"

He didn't like the way she was looking at him. "No."

"Well," she nudged him, a teasing twinkle in her eye. "It involves a hotel room, a nice big bed, the shedding of clothes-"

"Shut up." He muttered. Did she even know what kind of images she had just put into his head?

"You know I was just playing, right? And besides, I'm pretty sure the last place Milton wants to take me is to bed."

Daryl choked on his own saliva and croaked. "What?"

"I don't even think me and Milton will be going to prom anyway." She sighed.

"But ya just said-"

"I know. But you remember that note you gave him from Andrea? Well, I am pretty sure that she was probably asking him to prom."

"Oh." He started picking at the hole in his jeans, wanting to give his hands something to do. "I thought he asked ya first, so shouldn't he be goin' wit' ya?"

She shrugged. "We're just going as friends and I think he really likes Andrea, so if he went with her it would be more memorable for him. Plus, I was planning on going by myself anyway."

"What? And what exactly would ya have done by yerself?" He crossed his arms. "Don't tell me ya would have danced by yerself?"

She chuckled. "Of course!"

Thinking about her dancing by herself made him smile slightly, but then he started feeling guilty. She wouldn't have to dance by herself if he actually grew a pair and went with her.

"Uh.." he started nervously. "If ya want, I could take ya. That is, if ya don't want to go alone."

She must have sensed how uncomfortable he was, offering to go, because she placed a gentle hand on his knee and gave him a soft smile.

"It's okay, Daryl. I can't imagine you dressing up in a tux and dancing. I know how uncomfortable that makes you." She removed her hand. "Besides, I was always planning on going by myself and Jessica is going to be there too. We're kind of on talking terms again and we both hate Ed with a passion so we could bond over that."

"I fuckin' hate that guy."

"I know." She laughed. "Oh, I hope you don't think you're off the hook with prom, though." She placed a hand on her hip and poked him in the chest.

"What?" He was confused. What was she going to make him do?

"On Friday, you and me are going shopping so I can get me a dress." She smirked.

"Hell no!" He protested. He was never going shopping again! Not after his last foray into the shopping world.

"Oh, yes you are! You owe me!" She hopped off the bed and stood in front of him. "Or, I could ask Merle to take me. I'm sure he would." She turned to leave.

With a sigh of defeat, Daryl reached out and stopped her when he grabbed her arm. "A'right, I'll fuckin' go. But if we're in there more than an hour your ass is walkin' itself home."

Carol clapped her hands in excitement. "Deal!"  
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Milton had taken her home an hour later. Neither one of them had left Daryl's room to eat any pizza and Merle hadn't minded. It meant more for him.

Daryl had thought about kissing her again, of course he did, but he didn't know how well received that would have been. Especially while sitting on his bed. He knew things wouldn't have gone that far. They weren't ready for that.

Fuck, he had scars. Merle couldn't save his ass from his father all the time and Buck Dixon liked to use his knife. Almost as much as he liked drinking.

Carol knew about his scars, but hadn't seen any of them intentionally. There was a long, jagged one in his chest that sometimes peeked out when he wore his sleeveless shirts. It was the main reason why he never wore them to school. She had only seen the top of the one and the few that showed on his shoulders.

Merle had scars of his own, but he wasn't ashamed of them like Daryl was. The number of women he had brought home hadn't dwindled with each new scar he had gained.

She had asked him, once, why he had worn a shirt while they had gone swimming in the pond near his house. They had been friends for a couple years and he'd finally felt comfortable enough to tell her about the scars. He didn't delusion himself in thinking that she didn't know about how rough his home life could be, she had seen the bruises and cuts after all. So, she had asked and he had given her an answer. Spilling some of the less violent stories.

It didn't stop her eyes from filling up with tears. They weren't pity tears, but sad tears. She was sad that someone, someone who was supposed to love and care for him , could be so cruel.

That had been the first time he had wanted to pull her into his arms and keep her close. He knew then that she would never hurt him.  
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After Milton dropped her off at her home, she had headed straight for the shower. Only wanting to take one and go to sleep. It wasn't that the day had been exhausting, despite the added stress of an angry Daryl, it was just she had tossed and turned so much the night before.

Now, she had nothing to worry about. Daryl wasn't mad at her anymore and she was going to prom with a friend.

Thinking of prom made her smile. Milton had been so nervous to ask her and on the way to her house, he had just as nervously admitted that Andrea had asked him to go.

Carol had told him that he should go with Andrea. It was clear the girl liked him and he liked her.

"But what about you?" He had asked, once he had parked in her driveway.

"I was planning on going by myself before you asked." She placed a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Go with her, Milton."

"A-Are you sure? I mean, I asked you first."

She laughed and nodded.

"Alright." His face brightened.

"Well, goodnight." She leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "And thanks for the ride."

Milton blushed. "N-No problem. See you tomorrow."

She had watched him drive off before she walked into her house. Her dad had actually been home, she could tell because his shoes were set neatly by the door. But the door to his room was closed, so that meant he was asleep. She'd make sure to get up early and see him off to work.

An hour later, she was freshly showered and laying in bed. Fast asleep.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Friday came quick. Too quick, for Daryl. Normally, he looked forward to the end of the week since it meant the weekend but not this time.

Carol approached his locker after school, a wide smile on her face and a bounce to her step. She was clearly excited for this shopping trip.

"So, I saw the perfect dress in town the other day." She gushed beside him at his locker. "They had it in a couple colors, I think. You have to tell me which one I look best in."

He groaned and briefly wondered if he could slam his head in his locker and knock himself out. Would a trip to the ER excuse him from shopping?

"Oh, come on," she nudged him. "It's not going to be that bad! How about after we're done shopping I'll take you out to eat. Your pick."

Daryl closed the metal door of the locker and looked at her. "There's only one place to eat in this town."

She shrugged. "I guess that's where we'll be eating there!"

He rolled his eyes. "I fuckin' hate that place." They began walking down the hallway. "Everyone in there always look at me like I have three heads or somethin'."

"Oh." She seemed shocked to hear this. Clearly, she hadn't noticed. "Well, maybe you can come over and I'll make you supper?" Smiling, she decided that she liked that idea much better.

"A'right." He agreed. Any time he got to be with Carol alone and away from others was well worth the shopping trip, but he figured he'd still give her a hard time. "I don't know if your cookin' will make up for the hour of hell ya are puttin' me through." He smirked.

"Really, Daryl?" She looked up at him as they walked, eyes narrowing. "Is shopping really that bad? You act like I'm taking you to the dentist to get all your teeth ripped out or something."

"I'd rather go to the dentist." He mumbled and peeked at her out of the corner of her eye to see if she had heard. She had.

"Dammit, Daryl." She cursed. "If I knew you were going to be this whiny about going I would have taken Merle instead. At least, I'd get to ride the motorcycle again."

"Pfft," he snorted. "Do ya really think Merle will go shoppin' with ya? He's a Dixon. We don't go shoppin' unless we absolutely fuckin' have to."  
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"Ya want me to do what now?" Merle towered in the doorway of his home and looked down at his nervous and fidgety bespectacled friend.

"Well, um, I would like it if you would go shopping with me for a tux." His hands were clutched in front of him and his thumbs twiddled together.

Merle crossed his arms over his chest. "And what made ya want to ask me? I'm probably the last person ya want to be seen wit' in public." One hand lifted up to his chin and he rubbed at his scruff, once again not bothering to shave. "And see as you got yerself a nice lookin' car, I figure yer parents are well off. They'd probably not be happy if they found out ya was hangin' out wit' a man like me."

Milton shook his head. "They won't care." Looking down at his hands, he mumbled. "They'll probably be happy that I actually have friends."

"Aw," he clapped Milton on the shoulder. "We're friends, Milty?" On the outside, he was joking around but on the inside, Merle was actually glad to have a friend like Milton. All his other friends were drunks, druggies or both. In the last few months, he had been cutting down on the drugs. It was a hard and difficult process, but he was confident he could do it.

He was tired of always harming Daryl when he was high. That boy would never tell him, but he was sure that some of the scars he had on his body were from him. Finding someone like Milton to hang out with was good from him, since he wasn't a user and didn't have any product to tempt him with.

Who'd a thought that he, Merle Dixon, would be friends with a guy like Milton Mamet?

"Uh, Merle." The guy in question was now trying to get his attention. "Did you hear what I said?"

"Uh." His hand slid of Milton's shoulder and fell back to his side. "No."

"Oh. Well, the first thing I said was that, yes, you are my friend and the other thing was; are you going to go shopping with me?"

"Um." He looked behind him and into the living room, with the now vacated couch and TV on mute. The decision was made instantly. "Sure, I'll fuckin' go shoppin' with ya." He had nothing better to do besides sit on his ass and drink beer. That was starting to get real old.

"Okay." He seemed surprised. "Good. Are you ready to go now?"

Merle looked down at his stained white shirt and old jeans. Sniffing his armpit, he reeled back from the smell. When was the last time he had taken a shower?

"Fuck. How about ya give me an hour? I'm a little ripe." He ran his hand over his chin again. "And I think I should probably shave."

Milton nodded relief in his eyes. He knew Merle didn't smell too great, but he was going to be the last person to suggest he hop in the shower.

"Alright. How about you come over when you're ready...and clean?"

"Sure." Merle agreed.

Milton smiled and gave him the address. Then with a nod, the older Dixon turned and retreated into his house.  
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Daryl parked his old truck in front of the only dress shop in town and reluctantly opened the door to step out. Carol was already at his side and tugging his arm towards the door. Stepping into the store was like stepping into a candy store for Carol. There were so many dresses in so many colors. She didn't even know where to begin.

Letting go of his arm, she rushed to the first rack of dresses and began to sort through them. Her eyes never lost their excited twinkle.

Daryl couldn't help but groan as he followed her from rack to rack. They were definitely going to be there for more than an hour.

Fuck.  
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"Milton, sweetie." Susan Mamet called from the kitchen. "What do you want for supper?"

Milton looked up from the science magazine he had been reading on his bed. "I'm not going to be here for supper. I'm going out with a friend soon."

There was silence and then suddenly his mother stood in his doorway. "What?" Her hands were on her hips; one hand came up and brushed a few strands of her dark brown hair from her face. "Did you say you were going out with a friend?"

He sighed and put down his magazine on the nightstand. "Yes, mom, I did."

She smiled. "That's great, honey. Who is it? Do I know them?"

"Milton!" A male voice called from another part of the house. "I think there's someone outside for you. I heard them pull up."

Milton climbed out of his bed and headed towards the front door, groaning as his mom followed him.

"Paul, Milton says him and a friend are hanging out." His mother gushed. "Isn't that exciting?"

His father showed up next to his mother, a smile on his face. "About time someone realized how awesome you are son."

Milton couldn't decide which was worse; the fact that his mother was treating him like a five year old or that his father just used the word awesome.

Mr. Mamet headed towards the large, bay window and pulled back the curtain. "Let's see who it is." Before Milton could stop them, both his parents were at the window looking out.

With their backs to him, he figured it was the perfect opportunity to sneak out. However, before he could reach the brass door handle his mother's voice stopped him.

"Um, darling, why is Merle Dixon sitting in our driveway." Both parents turned and looked at him, waiting for an answer.

"Well, you see." He gave them a weak smile. "He's the friend I'm hanging out with. He's going to help me look for a tux."

"Is that another saying for 'getting high'?" His father asked from behind his mother's shoulder. A confused look on his face.

"No!" Milton protested. "We are really going shopping for a tux. It's for prom."

"My baby!" Mrs. Mamet suddenly cried, her hands covering her face. "You've turned gay on us, haven't you?"

"W-What?!" He stuttered.

"It's alright, son." His father placed a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder. "You can be honest with us. We'll still love you the same; gay or not."

He groaned. This was not where he wanted this conversation to go. In fact, he hadn't wanted to have any conversation at all.

"I'm not gay, dad." He ground out. "Merle is taking me to get a tux for prom, in which I will be going with two girls."

"Two girls?" His mother's head shot up, the despair from earlier gone.

"Two girls?" His father repeated, a smile spreading across his face. He raised his hand and gave him a thumbs up. "That's my boy."

Shrugging off her husband's hand, Susan took a step towards her son. "You never mentioned going to prom." She smiled. "Now, tell us who you're going with."

He sighed; surprised that Merle hadn't started banging on his door for the length of time he was making me wait.

"One's a friend, Carol and the other girl, Andrea, actually asked me to go with her." He explained and hoped his mother would allow him to leave.

It wasn't the case. His mother clapped her hands happily. "I know both of those girls! I'm proud of you, Milton. You couldn't have picked two better young woman."

"Thanks, mom." He mumbled, and then turned to the door. "Now, I really need to go."

"Hold up, son." His dad spoke. "We still don't approve of you hanging out with a Dixon." He said the name like it left a bad taste in his mouth. This angered Milton.

He clenched his fists and faced his parents. "There is nothing wrong with the Dixons." He bit out; surprised that he was talking to his parents this way. "Merle and his younger brother Daryl have done all right by me. Some of those rumors may be true about Merle, but he hasn't done anything to me that would suggest he was a bad person."

His parents were speechless.

Finally, he turned and opened the door. "I'll be back before curfew." With those parting words, he closed the door on their shocked faces.  
\------------------------------------------  
Daryl had lost count of the number of dresses Carol had tried on and flaunted in front of them. They all started to blur together and he knew he wasn't going to be much help picking one out when the time came. There was one thing he definitely knew; it was that she looked the most beautiful when she put on any blue dress. She looked beautiful in any dress. But the blue ones brought out her eyes and contrasted beautifully with her pale skin.

"Daryl?"

His head snapped up when he heard his name. She stood in front of him, wearing the clothes she had worn all day.

"We finally done?" He asked.

"Yep!" She smiled.

He looked around for the dress she had chosen. "So, where's it at?"

"Where's what?" She smiled a playful gleam in her eye. Daryl hated that gleam. It always meant she was fucking with him over something.

"The fuckin' dress." He growled.

"Oh." She started heading towards the door. "I didn't find anything I liked."

"What?" He chased after her.

She had walked quickly ahead of him and was now sitting in the passenger's seat of his truck. There was no way in hell she was going to get away with his.

He swung up the driver's side door glared at her and climbed in. "Ya best not be tellin' me we just spent an hour and a half in that damn store for nothing!"

"I am!" She smiled, clearly happy with herself.

Daryl searched her face. Son of a bitch! "Ya already got a damn dress, don't ya?"

"What?' She gasped and placed a hand over her heart in mock surprise. "Now, why would I have you go dress shopping with me if I already had a dress?"

"Because ya a heartless bitch that jus' wants to watch the world burn." He growled and leaned his head back on the seat.

"Got you out shopping with me, didn't it?" She playfully poked him in the ribs.

"I guess."  
\------------------------------------------  
Milton decided right away that he was not getting on that motorcycle ever again and had told Merle that they were taking his car. After much grumbling, Merle finally agreed and climbed in the passenger's seat with a huff.

"No one better fuckin' steal my bike, Milty." He growled as they pulled out of his driveway.

"No one's going to steal it, Merle." He sighed in annoyance. "I live in a good neighborhood and my parents will keep a good eye on it."

"Whatever. All's I'm sayin' is when I come back and it's gone I'm gonna be hella pissed."

"It'll be there. I promise." He was starting to regret asking him to come along.

"So," Merle rolled down his window and stuck his arm out. "How come ya asked me to come along and not my little brother?"

Turning off the air conditioning, he answered. "Because he is doing something with Carol tonight."

"Ah, I see how it is." Merle smirked. "He ditches ya for his woman."

"Oh." Milton suddenly remembered something. "Speaking of woman weren't you and Maggie supposed to be going on a date today?"

"Yeah." Merle sighed. "But she called earlier, saying she couldn't make it and asked if we could reschedule to next Friday."

"I see." He turned down a street, eyes focused on the road. "At least you're still going on a date."

"Yeah, I suppose. I still wanted to see her tonight." He looked out the window. "Well, what do ya know. That's Daryl's truck." He pointed to the trunk parked in front of the dress shop, right next to the tux shop.

"So that's what they were doing." Milton drove his car to park next to him. "Carol must have wanted him to go dress shopping with her."

Merle laughed. "I feel sorry for tha' boy. Tha' girl is a handful and he's fuckin' whipped."

They pulled in alongside them and were surprised to see the two them sitting in his truck. Merle turned to him with a smirk.

"Do ya think they was makin' out?"

Milton groaned.  
\--------------------------------  
"Hey, isn't that Milton and your brother?" Carol asked, peering over his shoulder.

Daryl turned, thinking that she was briefly trying to distract him, but was surprised to see his brother peering through the window and waving at him.

Rolling down the window, Daryl asked. "What the hell ya doin' here, Merle?"

Milton joined Merle by the window and Merle threw an arm around him. "Ol' Milty here asked me to go tux shoppin' with him. He knows I got great taste."

Daryl snorted.

"I thought Dixon never went shopping unless they absolutely fuckin' had too." Carol scooted towards them and leaned over Daryl's shoulder.

"We don't." Daryl grumbled.

"I beg to differ." She elbowed him too.

Daryl turned and was about to tell her off, when his brother stopped him.

"Well, while ya two flirt me and Milty have some shoppin' to do. See ya two later." He turned to go.

"Wait!" Carol called.

"I'm going to be making supper later for Daryl. Do you two want to come over, too? I'll make plenty of food."

Daryl tensed slightly beside her. It was only supposed to be them two. Alone. Maybe Merle would refuse the offer. Yeah, right.

"Sure!" His brother yelled back. "It's been awhile since I had a home- cooked meal. Milty's comin' too!"

"Okay." She smiled. "I'll see you two later, then!"  
\-----------------------------------------  
Daryl wanted to demand why she had invited them, to tell her that he wanted to be alone with her, but he kept his mouth shut. If she wanted to cook for the whole state of Georgia, then he would fuckin' let her!

"Daryl?"

He turned when she said his name and was surprised to find her face so close. The air in the truck suddenly became to hot. He needed to get out of there. Scrambling for the door handle, he jerked it open and climbed out. Carol followed close behind.

"What's wrong?" She asked, jogging over to his side of the trunk.

"Nothin'." He muttered, stepping away from her. "Jus' wanted to take a little walk before we head to your house. Tha' a'right?"

"Sure." She agreed, but still watched him closely. She clearly knew something was off with him, but didn't say anything.

They walked side by side, neither one speaking. It was comfortable, though, like it usually was between them.

"So, Dixon." Someone sneered behind him. Turning they found themselves face to face with Ed Peletier and two of his friends. "How much?"

"How much, what?" He asked, clenching his fists. He was getting real sick and tired of this motherfucker.

Ed smirked. "How much are you paying Carol here to be seen with you in public." His two friends snickered.

"The hell ya jus' say?" He took a menacing step forward.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He smiled, not looking sorry at all. "You didn't like that question. How about this one. How much are you paying her to fuck you?"

That was it.

Daryl lunged.  
\------------------------------------------  
"Fuck!" Merle cried, looking out the big glass windows of the store.

"W-What?" Milton stuttered from one of the dressing rooms, still in the process of trying on a tux.

"Looks like my baby bro got himself in a little trouble." Merle watched the fight from the window. It was three against one, with Carol trying to get between them. She was going to get her fool self hurt if she didn't step away.

"I'll be back, Milty." And with that, he ran out of the store.  
\------------------------------------------  
Three against one. He didn't like those odds, but he had been in enough fights with Merle to know that he could handle himself. He had gotten in a good swing at Ed, before he had to take care of his lackeys.

Carol stood a few feet away, screaming at them to stop, but the blood was pumping through his veins and he knew he wouldn't be able to stop until Ed was on the ground. He had basically called Carol a prostitute. There was no way in hell he was going to let the one slide.

Suddenly the grip around his neck loosened and the look on the guy's face he held turned to fear. Turning around, he saw his brother standing there.

"Do ya need any help kickin' ass, little brother?"

Both of Ed's lackeys fled, leaving Ed struggling to stand up with blood dripping from his nose. He looked at Daryl, not seeing Merle, malice in his eyes.

"I'm going to fucking kill you!" Ed lunged.

Merle let the two of them roll around on the ground, smirking every time Daryl landed a punch. Holding out his arm, he stopped Carol from rushing forward to stop the two. He didn't notice that she was sobbing until then.

She was terrified. Terrified for Daryl.

He supposed that his brother had had enough fun. Reaching down, he grabbed Daryl by the back of his shirt and hauled him up still swinging.

"Daryl!" He shook him, hard. Instantly he stilled when he saw Carol's tear-streaked face. "Why don't ya take care of your woman and I'll get this guy."

Still shaking from the adrenaline, Daryl nodded. Then stepping up to Carol, he placed a hand on the small of her back and led her to his truck.

Merle peered down at the asshole, who was on his knees and trying to catch his breath, blood still dripping from his nose and onto the pavement. Grabbing him up by the collar of his shirt, Merle went face to face to him.

"Today ain't your lucky day, boy!"


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Daryl felt horrible and couldn't help but glance at his best friend the whole way to her house. He had done this. He had made her cry. He had vowed to never make her cry and in the past week alone he had made her shed tears twice.

What kind of friend was he?

Reaching over, he placed a hand on hers, the scabs on his knuckles open and bleeding. "'m sorry." He mumbled, hoping somehow it would calm her down a little.

She gripped his hand in hers and scooted over the bench seat until her side was pressed fully against his.

"Don't be sorry for beating the bastard's ass, Daryl." Her words were muffled as she pressed her face into her shoulder. "He deserved it and he deserves what ever Merle is doing to him, too."

Turning his hand slightly, he was surprised to find her hair tickling his jaw and her breath hitting the skin of his neck. It all seemed to bring back memories of another time she had been this close, but for the life of him he couldn't remember when that had happened.

"So, why ya cryin', then?" He asked. "'Specially if ya wanted me to beat his ass."

She sniffled. "At first, when you punched Ed in the nose I was cheering you on." Looking up at him, she blinked back the tears. "But then I began to worry that someone would call the cops and take you away. I just know they wouldn't have taken Ed."

"Yeah, he's a fuckin' poster child. No one would want to put him behind bars." Daryl pulled into her driveway, parked and together they remained inside the cab. "I jus' hope that Merle doesn't do too much damage. I ain't got the money to bail him out."

"Hopefully he hides the body well." She looked up at him and smirked.

"If anyone could hide a body that could never be found, it would be Merle." He squeezed her hand playfully. "Not that I'm sayin' he'd kill someone."

Detaching herself from his side, she scooted over to the passenger door and opened it. "I think Merle, out of everyone I know, is the most capable of killing someone." She smirked. "But that doesn't make me like him any less." She hopped down from the truck and looked at him through the door. "Come on, I have supper to make."  
\---------------------------------  
Merle watched as Ed sprinted away from him. Like he was being chased by Satan himself. He had barely even touched the boy and now he was running away; scared shitless. Daryl had already done enough damage on his pretty boy face and he should be lucky that the other Dixon brother hadn't added to it.

Merle was proud of his little brother. It was clear that he had been sticking up for his woman. Maybe Carol would be giving Daryl a token of her gratitude tonight.

Smirking to himself, he turned around to walk back to the clothing store Milton was still probably in. To his surprise, though, Milton was standing behind him, a bag in his hand.

"Is everything all right?" He asked, curious. "And was that Ed I just saw running away from you? Don't tell me you beat him up? You do realize he could press charges against you and you could go to jail."

"Relax, Milty." He slung an arm over his shoulder in camaraderie and made their way to Milton's car. "The only time I touched the boy was to scrap him off the street after Daryl was done with him."

"Daryl hit him?" He looked at Merle in disbelief.

"Yep. He didn't hit him just once, though. That boy's face is gonna be lookin' real pretty tomorrow. Hell, might even have a broken nose."

Reaching his car, Milton moved to the driver's side to unlock it and climb in. Once both settled, seat-belted and all, he spoke. "Do you know why he did it? I mean, I know Ed has been giving him a hard time at school and seems to have a think for Carol, but Daryl was doing a good job of ignoring him."

"That little shithead probably said somethin' about Carol." Merle rolled down his window. "I only see Daryl that mad when I fuck wit' him about her."

"Do you think Ed will press charges against Daryl?" Milton's voice sounded worried. "He is in an adult, after all."

"Fuck if I know. But I do now somethin'. If tha' pretty boy squeals on my brother to the cops, Daryl ain't gonna be the only Dixon he'll have to watch out for."

Milton couldn't help but feel scared for Ed, but he knew that asshole deserved it. A small smile spread across his face. Forget it. He didn't feel sorry for Ed. That bastard deserved everything he got tonight. In fact, he wished he had been there to throw in a punch or two.

Well, he would have punched him in his mind. Actually doing the physical act terrified him. Good thing he had friends like Daryl and Merle; who relished in violent acts.  
\------------------------------  
Daryl sat at the kitchen table and watched as Carol cooked. He had offered to help, but she had shot him to down much to his relief. He was perfectly content with just watching her work. He could watch her all fuckin' day.

But that made him seem creepy and he focused his attention to his calloused hands, with the nails bitten down to the skin.

"So, are ya gonna show me that dress of yours?" He asked, not taking his eyes of his hands and picked at the skin of his thumb.

"Nope!" She smiled from the stove, placing the lid back on one of the pots. "You'll get to see it next Friday, before I go to prom."

"And, who I said I was going to come over then?" He rested his elbows on the table and smirked over at her.

"Well, if you didn't show up, I was planning on coming over and dragging your ass here anyway. With my heels and all." She winked at him and turned back to the stove.  
\------------------------------

Stirring the pot of almost done noodles, Carol didn't hear Daryl approach over the sound of boiling water.

"What ya makin'?"

His voice just over her shoulder made her jump slightly and the spoon she had been holding plopped back into the pan. She narrowly missed getting splashed by the hot water.

Turning around to face him, her smile faltered to find him so close. But he wasn't looking at her, he was looking at the pan of sauce bubbling behind her.

"S-Spaghetti." She stuttered out, hating how nervous she sounded at his proximity.

He must have noticed her shaking hand, because he grabbed it with his and pulled her slightly closer. She wondered if he was aware of what he was doing. She definitely knew he wasn't aware of what he was doing to her. The beat of her heart had quickened noticeably and she thought that Daryl could probably hear it beating.

Thinking she was trembling because of his earlier fight, he apologized again. "'m sorry, if I scared you. I know I said it already, I just, y'know, wanted to tell ya again."

Her cheeks began to heat up when she felt his thumb brush her knuckles. "It's all right, Daryl. Really."

"Ya sure?" His blue eyes searched hers and she saw so much concern for her in them that she just wanted to wrap her arms around him and pull him close.

She nodded. "I just wish that it hadn't happened in such a public place. Anyone could have seen it and called the cops..."

"If it had been jus' me, I would have ignored his ass. But then when he said that shit about ya, I jus' couldn't. Ya ain't no hooker and I should have killed him for callin' ya one."

She nearly jumped again when his other hand came up and cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing the smooth skin under eye.

Leaning into his touch, she smiled at him. "I should have beaten his ass for having him think you needed to pay someone to have sex with you." She blushed even more at the mention of sex.

His thumb stopped moving on her cheek and he gave her a look of disbelief. "Are ya sayin' there's women out there who would actually want to have sex wit' me?"

She could no longer keep eye contact with him and nodded. Daryl was very attractive and she was surprised he hadn't noticed. She knew she certainly had. "I take it you don't notice the way some of the girls look at you at school."

He shook his head, even though she couldn't see it she felt the movement through his arm.

"Yeah." She continued. "You could have any girl you wanted."

"Any girl I want?" The grip on her hand disappeared and it fell limply to her side.

She nodded, hating the tears that sprung to her eyes. Hadn't she cried enough today? But the thought of Daryl being with other girls saddened her. It was true, though, he could have anyone he wanted.

Andrea. Jessica. Angelica. The whole cheerleading team. They were all beautiful. She was just plain ol' Carol, the girl he had been best friends with since seventh grade.

Just then he was tilting her chin up so she could look at him completely and fully. As much as she wanted to skirt her gaze away, it remained locked on his.

"Ya said any girl?"

Why were they still on this? Did he not understand that, yes, he could have any girl? Couldn't he tell that it was breaking her heart that the thought of being with dozens of pretty girls was probably going through his mind right now?

Anger surged though her. "Yes." She snapped, eyes flashing. The hands at her sides clenched into fists and she briefly thought about punching him in the gut and running. He could figure out how to cook supper on his own.

"Well, there's only girl I want." His eyes never left hers and he began to lean his face closer. His breath hit her lips and her gazed locked on his as his tongue darted out to wet his own lips slightly. "And that is..."

The last word was drowned out, the blood pumping so loudly in her ears and she wasn't even aware that her eyes had closed until she felt his lips brush hers. It was just like that day in his room, except this time they had made contact.

They both froze at the feel of their lips on each others and before he could begin to properly kiss her, someone started banging on her front door.

She pulled away from him, clearly as annoyed at the interruption as he was.

"I should probably get that." She sighed, stepped away from him and headed towards the front door. Opening the door, she greeted Merle and Milton as they stepped in.

Glaring at the two fuckers as they slipped their shoes off, Daryl didn't think he had ever wanted to kill his brother as much as he wanted to right then.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

"Well, there's only one girl I want." Still cupping her cheek, he made sure to keep his eyes locked on hers. He felt her pulse quicken and his confidence grew. Maybe she was liking this as much as him. At least she hadn't ran yet.

He unconsciously wet his lips as he leaned closer, feeling her breath on his skin. "And that is...you." The last part was barely audible and then he took the final leap and brushed his lips against hers. Immediately a shock went through his body. Was this what the guys in those cheesy romantic comedies felt when they kissed the woman they loved?

Before he could begin to kiss her properly, it was over. Carol had pulled away from him when someone knocked on her door, but his confidence grew more when he saw that she had been reluctant to pull her lips from his. That was good, right?

He watched as she headed to the front door and his mind reeled back to the few minutes before, when he had walked up behind her at the stove. He had really wanted to know what she was cooking and had been unaware of his proximity to her until she had turned around. Her scent filled his nostrils and his hand had moved on its own, grabbing hers and pulling her closer to his body. He recalled how soft her skin had looked and he knew he had to touch it. So he cupped her cheek and caressed it. It was all very uncharacteristic of him, he wasn't the caressing type, but he didn't care. The result of it all was him finally kissing Carol.

Nothing else mattered.  
\----------------------------------  
An hour later, his lips still tingled from their kiss. His heart was still beating in overtime and he couldn't look at Carol without blushing. So, he focused his gaze on his plate and pushed his spaghetti around. Everyone else was eating with gusto, especially Merle. The man hadn't had a proper home-cooked meal in years.

Peeking over at Carol, through the fringe of his bangs, he noticed that she had been staring back at him as she ate. Her cheeks flamed red before she looked back down at her own plate.

Smiling down at his food, he was glad that he wasn't the only one thinking about the kiss they had shared. But had she liked it? Did she want to do it again? Would he even have the balls to do it again?

"Daryl?"

His name jarred him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see three pairs of eyes looking at him. Carol had spoken and was now standing up, a plate in her hand.

"Yeah?" He asked lamely.

"Did you want any more?"

"Naw, I'm good." He picked up the fork to swirl up some noodles. "I haven't even finished what I got." He put the forkful in his mouth. "'s good, though."

"Alright." She smiled, and then headed towards the stove where she scooped more pasta onto a plate.

"Wha's wrong wit' ya, boy?" Merle asked as he slapped his shoulder.

Noticing the empty space in front of his older brother, he concluded that Carol had gotten up to get him more food.

"Nothin's wrong." He elbowed him back angrily. "Jus' leave me be!" He hissed.

"Whoa now!" Merle sat back in his chair and looked over at his little brother. "Wha' ya got shoved up yer ass? You've been glarin' at me since I got here!"

Milton looked up from his plate, eyed the two brothers wearily and then went back to eating. There was no way he was going to get involved in a Dixon fight. Especially since he would be stuck in the middle.

"Maybe I'm jus' sick of seein' your face!" He grumbled.

"Naw, that ain't it." He ran a hand over his clean-shaven chin. "I think we may have interrupted somethin', Milty." He looked across the table at the young man and smirked.

"Ya didn't interrupt shit!" Daryl argued, making sure to keep his voice down so Carol, who was still by the stove, wouldn't hear.

Merle looked over the top of Milton's head, his gaze landed on Carol and he cursed under his breath.

"What?" Daryl asked.

"Yer woman's wearin' jeans." He stated as if it answered everything.

Why had he even been staring at Carol's backside anyway? Daryl clenched his fist around his fork and ignored the pain as the metal dug into his skin. The fuckin' pervert!

Suppressing the urge to kick the shit out of his older brother's shin, he gritted out. "So? What's that have to do with anythin'?"

Merle grabbed his glass of water and took a drink before answering. "I jus' wanted to see if she had any marks on her knees."

At first, Daryl didn't understand what he had meant by that. Then it all clicked. Knowing that jumping over the table to strangle his brother would cause too much of a scene, he opted on kicking the fuck out of his leg.

"Son of a bitch!" Merle roared, groping for his injured limb and defeating the whole purpose of trying to be silent. Carol and Milton jerked and stared at the two of them, eyes wide with confusion. Carol was the first one to speak.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked, setting down his plate of spaghetti in front of him.

Merle glared over at his brother, whose head was down. "Naw, it was...uh. It was nothin'. Jus' felt like yellin', I guess." He gave Daryl a kick back, nowhere near as hard as the one he had received. It was more of a message that Daryl would be getting worse when he got home.  
\---------------------------------  
Dinner was done, dishes were cleared and Daryl sat in the living room with Milton. Merle had gone out for a smoke, mumbling the whole time about a dislocated knee, and Carol was in the kitchen doing the dishes.

Both Milton and Daryl had offered to help, but she had declined them both and ordered them to sit in the living room until she was done.

"Besides," she had said. "It is woman's work after all." And with wink directed more at Daryl, she left the room.

God, he loved that woman.

"So," Milton spoke from his seat in the only armchair. "I take it you and Carol finally kissed." He stated it like it was no big deal.

"W-What?" Daryl jumped. "How the fuck ya know?"

Milton smiled. "Well, I heard Merle asking you if we had interrupting something when we first arrived and judging by the look on your face, I figured we had."

"Yeah. We did." He admitted.

"That's great!" Milton exclaimed, very excited. "I'm sure she enjoyed it. Now," his voice got lower and Daryl had to lean forward to hear better. "If we had not come over, would things have...escalated?"

"What?" Once again, Daryl was confused. What was Milton asking him? He couldn't be asking him that him and Carol would have had...

No. This was Milton!

"Um, well." Milton took off his glasses to clean them. "I was asking if things would have, um, moved to the...bedroom." Placing his glasses back on, he waited for Daryl's answer.

"The fuck?" Daryl stood up in surprise. "No! Jesus, Milton, you've been hangin' around my brother too much."

Milton nodded in agreement, eyes wide and still in shock that he had actually asked something like that. "I know." Deep down though, he knew Merle would have been proud of him.  
\---------------------------------  
It was getting late and Milton was the first to announce that he had to go home, before his parents sent out a search party. Considering that they now knew whom he was hanging out with, it was probably highly likely that could happen.

Turning to Merle, who was sitting on the couch on the other side of Carol, he asked. "Would you like me to take you back to my house to get your bike?"

Merle glared over at his brother, who was on the other side of Carol and sitting quite close to her, he answered. "Naw, I don't feel like drivin' it tonight." This caused Daryl to look at him with his eyebrows raised. He ignored him. "I'll just hitch a ride wit' Daryl."

"Um, alright then." Standing up, it was clear that Milton was confused by Merle's response. "Well, I guess I'll see you guys later?"

"Of course." Carol smiled, standing up and hugging him. Milton looked surprised by this and awkwardly put his arms around her, hugging her back.

Merle slapped Daryl in the arm and smirked. "Ya jealous, boy? He's gotten more action from her, than you!"

"Shut up." Daryl shot back, while trying to hold back a smile. Oh, how wrong Merle was.  
\-----------------------------------  
Daryl and Merle had left soon after Milton and Daryl would have liked to think that he would have kissed Carol goodbye if his brother hadn't been there. He fuckin' wished Merle had gone with Milton.

The moment they climbed into Daryl's truck, Merle kicked him hard in the leg.

"What the fuck?" He yelled, glaring at his older brother. "Ya can get out and fuckin' walk if that's what your gonna be doin' to me!"

"Shut up, boy." He settled into his seat. "Tha' was from earlier, remember?" He glanced over at him out of the corner of his eye. "Wha' the fuck was it for anyway?"

"Nothin'." He mumbled, slowly backing out of Carol's driveway mindful of the mailbox.

"Yer a terrible liar, baby bro."

"Jesus fuckin' Christ, Merle!" He cried. "Ya basically suggested that Carol sucked my..." He trailed of now wanting to finish the sentence. He felt his face heat up.

Rolling down the window, Merle turned to him. "Well, ya seemed happy sittin' there smilin' down at yer food and I didn't think it was jus' because it tasted good neither. 'Scuse me for thinkin' yer girl took care of ya before me and Milty arrived. Fuck."

"Shit, Merle, is everythin' about sex with ya? Jus' cuz Carol and me kissed doesn't mean we're ready to fuck. I me-"

"Whoa, now." Merle interrupted him. "Ya and Carol kissed?"

Fuck. He hadn't wanted to say anything to his older brother about it, knowing he would tease him mercilessly. Well, so much for that. So, with a defeated sigh, he nodded his head.

"Finally!" His brother crowed, with a smile. "I thought I was gonna have to plant one on her myself so ya would make a move!"

Daryl glared at him. "I would have beat yer ass, if ya had done that."

"Well, good thing I didn't then. I'm still fuckin' recoverin' from yer last ass kickin'." He motioned to the now yellowing bruises on his face. "But don't ya forget for a second that I can kick yer ass anytime, but whenever tha' girl is involved ya become like the fuckin' Incredible Hulk." He punched the dashboard. "Daryl smash!"

"Hey, don't punch my truck!" Daryl hit his brother hard in the arm. "Ya don't see him punchin' the shit out your bike."

"I'd kill ya." His tone was so matter of fact that Daryl knew what he said was true. Merle loved that bike.

"I can't believe ya left it at Milton's."

Merle shrugged. "I know tha' boy won't do shit to it." He looked over at his little brother, a smile turning up the corners of his lips. "Plus, girls are gonna drive by his house and think he's drivin' it. I jus' improved his sex life."

"What sex life?" Daryl laughed. "He's in the same boat as me."

"'Cept ya have a woman to kiss now." He rubbed at his chin. "Maybe ol' Milty will plant one on Andrea during prom. Tha' would make his pal Merle mighty proud."

Daryl nodded and thought back to when Milton had first come over. He was ashamed to admit that he hadn't wanted Merle and Milton to meet, thinking that his older brother would torment him. He was glad that wasn't the case. He was also glad that the two had formed an odd friendship. Milton was good for Merle and Merle was good for Milton.

It wasn't often when being friends with Merle Dixon was a good thing.

Daryl was certain that Milton was glad that he had a friend like Merle and not just because Merle could scare away all his bullies. Merle was helping him get out of his shell.

For the first time in his life, Daryl was proud of his older brother.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

"Hey, Milton."

Milton nearly dropped the book he had grabbed from his locker when he heard her voice. Turning around quickly, making himself slightly dizzy at the speed, he faced Andrea with what he hoped was a normal looking smile.

"Hello, Andrea." He replied, reaching behind him to shut the door to his locker. "How was your weekend?"

"It was great." She smiled. "And yours?"

Milton thought a moment, his mind going back to the dinner he had shared at Carol's house with the Dixon brothers. "Mine was...interesting." Anything involving hanging out with the Dixons was interesting.

They began walking down the hallway together, Andrea's shoulder occasionally brushing against his. Milton wanted to jump every time they made contact, so unused to being this familiar around a pretty woman. Of course, Carol was like this with him and she was pretty, but he was too afraid to think of her like that knowing Daryl would probably beat him up if he did.

Andrea was a different story. She was very attractive, funny and kind. She also wanted to go to prom with him. Did that mean she liked him? Or did she just want someone to go with her as a friend? He surely hoped not.

"So, I saw your bike in front of your house this weekend." She looked over at him, green eyes crinkling at the corners as she smiled. "How come you never ride it to school? That would be totally awesome!"

"Oh, um." He scrambled for words. Damn Merle for leaving his bike there overnight. The bastard probably knew exactly what he was doing. "My parents!" He blurted out, his gaze shied away from hers. "My p-parents don't approve of it."

"Really?" She asked.

"Oh, yes." He was seamlessly stepping into the lie now, knowing that if he really did own a motorcycle his parents would not approve. "In fact, they're making me sell it."

"Oh no," she gasped and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure you're not happy about it."

"I'm not." He hung his head, hoping that he was pulling a convincing 'disappointed' and 'devastated' face. He lifted his head and looked at her. "But, I have a buyer for it already."

"Oh?"

He nodded. "Yes. His name is Merle Dixon." He gauged her reaction. Nothing. "Have you heard of him?"

It was her turn to nod. "Yes, I know about the Dixons." She said. "You're friends with his younger brother, right? Daryl."

"Yes. Merle is also a friend of mine." And as an after thought, he added. "Believe it or not."

"That's interesting. I'm shocked that you're friends with either of them. Especially Merle. I've heard some-"

"What?' He interrupted, immediately getting defensive for his friends. Surely, Andrea wasn't one of those people who thought themselves better than the Dixons and now was going to strongly suggest he not be seen with them. He was hoping better from her.

"Oh, um, I was just going to say that I heard that they usually keep to themselves. Well, Daryl does anyway." She gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry if you thought I was going to say something else."

Milton shook his head. "No, it's alright. It's just that every time I mention that I am friends with the Dixons to someone, they freak out." His parents. "They're really not all that bad. Really." He pressed.

"I never thought they were." She stopped in front of her class. "Well, I never thought the brothers were that bad. Now, their father...he's a different story." She waved a hand on front of her. "Anyways, this is my class and you should probably head to yours before you're late."

"Oh." he glanced at the clock and noticed he didn't have much time to get to his own classroom. Which was on the other side of the school. "I guess, I'll see you later?"

"Lunch." She smiled. "We still have to talk about a few things. Prom things."

"Oh. Yeah, right." He gave a quick nod of his head, pushing up his glasses as they slid down his nose. "I'll see you at lunch, then."

"Bye." She turned and walked into her classroom. Milton watched her, a small smile playing on his lips. Merle would have probably made fun of the way he was staring after her. Like some love struck man.

Merle.

With the thought of the older Dixon, he was, thankfully, pulled out of his daydream and with one finally glance at the now empty doorway he hurried to his class.

He knew he was going to be late, but it was definitely worth it.  
\-------------------------------  
Daryl gave him an odd look when he walked in their Science class two minutes. Even he knew Milton was always on time.

"Where the fuck ya been?" Daryl whispered, eyes focused to the front of the class and on the teacher.

"I was talking to Andrea." He whispered back and straightened his notes on the table before him.

"Oh." This time Daryl looked at him. "Now, I understand why ya was late."

Milton blushed. "Yeah, I walked her to class. We talked a little."

"What ya guys talk about?" Daryl clearly wasn't in the mood for a Science lecture. He was clearly asking him questions that he would have left to Carol.

"Well, first of all-"

"Mr. Mamet. Mr. Dixon." Their teacher stopped mid-lecture to glare at the two. "Do you both have something to add?"

"No." Milton answered, for the both of them. Hoping he drowned out Daryl's mumbled reply of 'Fuck no.'.

"Good." Their teacher replied and went right back to his lecture.  
\-----------------------------------  
"So, have you seen Ed today?" Was the first thing she asked Daryl when she joined him at his locker before lunch.

"Nope." He replied and closed his locker. "And I'm glad. Any day I don't see the fucker, is a good day in my books."

"Same here." She wanted to loop her arm through his, but resisted the urge. Thinking back to the kiss they had shared on Saturday, she wondered if he was ever going to do it again or had it been just the heat of the moment kind of thing?

She wanted it to happen it again, but wasn't sure if he did.

Her thoughts were interrupted, when he asked, "Where's Milton? He was walkin' beside me after class and now his ass is gone?"

Carol smiled. "Last I saw him, he was heading towards the courtyard with Andrea. Both of them were just chatting away."

"Hmph." He snorted. "'Course. Milton finds himself a pretty girl and he forgets who his true friends are." He smirked down at her.

She smirked right back, a teasing glint in her eye. "Why, Daryl, are you jealous of Milton because he has a pretty girl?"

"'Course not. I got you, don't I?" Instantly he realized what he had said and the smile vanished, his face started turning red and he looked away from her.

Carol hid a smile behind her hand.  
\-----------------------------------  
Daryl didn't kiss her, much to her disappointment. In fact, he had been acting strange around her. Ever since he had made that comment by his locker, he barely looked her in the eye and mumbled when he did speak.

Hopping out of the passenger seat of his truck, she turned and gave him a final wave. Smiling as she did so.

Daryl gave her a small smile and a smile wave, then was backing out of her driveway and driving away. Watching him go, she knew she should have invited him to stay or something. Anything to have him near her again. Sometimes she could still feel the way his calloused hand felt on her cheek.

Reaching for her door handle, she let out a scream as someone grabbed her by the arms, spun her around and slammed her against the door.

Breathing heavily with anger, Ed Peletier looked down at her and sneered. "About time you got home, Carol. I've been waiting to talk to you."  
\------------------------------  
Daryl felt like an idiot as he drove home. He had let slip one stupid sentence, one, and he had to clam up around her. God, he was such a fucking pussy. He had kissed her in her kitchen a few days ago, one would think he would be over this awkward shit.

He clearly wasn't. Dammit.

Jesus, what was he doing? They should have been making out in his truck right now. Blushing, he cursed at himself. What made him think Carol would even want to kiss him again, let alone let him shove his tongue in her mouth in the driver's seat of his truck?

He also thought he was over this 'thinking he was shit' stuff too. He guessed not.  
\-------------------------------  
"Let go of me, Ed." Carol hissed, trying to wiggle out of his painful hold. "Now."

"But, Carol, I just wanted to talk to you." He leered, his gaze going down the front of her shirt. She went to knee him in the groin, but he quickly blocked her path.

"Uh uh, there isn't going to be any of that." His grip tightened and she knew there would be bruises tomorrow. "I just wanted to talk...about my fucking nose!" Spittle flew at her face and she wished could wash it off.

"Your boyfriend nearly broke my nose!" That was when she noticed the dark purple bruises around his eyes and the cut across the bridge of his nose. He looked horrible.

"You deserved it."

"Like hell I did!" He growled. "Them Dixon boys need to be run out of town, along with their alcoholic, piece of shit father."

"You're the one that needs to get out of town." She spat.

"Oh, really?" He laughed, almost sounding maniacal. "I doubt that. Everyone here loves me. I'm perfect. I make good grades, stay out of trouble and it helps that I am quite good-looking."

Carol snorted at that.

Ed shook her roughly. "Don't tell me you weren't attracted to me when we first met. I saw it." His smile grew more menacing. "Shame that you're standards went so low. Settling for a Dixon and all. Hell, I bet you're fucking both of them."

"Fuck you." Carol never cursed, but this was the time to do it.

"You know, you're lucky that I didn't go to the police. Your boys would have been put away for awhile."

She tried struggling again, but his hold didn't loosen. "What's stopping you, you piece of shit?" She channeled her inner Daryl.

"I thought I'd be nice, knowing you would de devastated if you couldn't suck their dicks for awhile." His face inched closer to hers. She wanted to run. "I may still go to them, unless you do something for me."

"What?" Like hell, she was going to do what he wanted but she figured she'd indulge him. Maybe he would leave her alone.

Just then, he buried his face in her neck, biting it and pressed his hips into hers. And that's when she knew what he wanted.

The sick bastard.

Finally, the grip on her loosened, since he was a little occupied and she shoved him away. "I said, get the fuck off me!" She shrieked.

Ed nearly stumbled down the one-step leading to her porch. He glared up at her. "You bitch." He hissed.

"Sticks and stones, asshole." Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared right back at him. "Now, get off my property before I call both Dixons and this time I doubt Mere will just stand there and watch you pee yourself and run away."

Take a few steps back, Ed's gaze never left her. "Just wait, you and your boyfriends are going to get it."

Carol gripped her chin and looked off in the distance, almost as if she was in deep thought. "Hmm, isn't that what all the evil villains in movies say before they get their asses handed to them by the hero." She leveled her gaze on him and smirked.

"Ha." Ed laughed. "You think Daryl's a hero? He's a piece of trash, who will never go anywhere in life and you're just going to be his little whore." With that, he turned and started walking away.

Carol was unfazed by the things he said. Ed was a fucking prick and she didn't care what he had to say about her. She wasn't going to take it to heart.

With a final, 'Good riddance' shouted at his retreating form, she walked into her house and slammed the door shut.

It was time for a shower. She needed to wash away the feel of that man from her skin. Prom was only days away, she didn't need to get some kind of disease before then.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Carol pulled down the sleeves of her shirt, hoping that they hid the bruises on her arms well enough. The bastard was lucky she hadn't gone off and told Daryl, or Merle, about what he had done to her. They would have killed him. That she was sure of.

"Somethin' wrong?" Daryl asked from the driver's seat. He must have noticed her fidgeting with her shirt.

"No." She quickly answered. "Just a little chilly, that's all." Giving him a weak smile, she turned back to looking outside.

Today was Thursday and Daryl had been acting the same for the past couple days. By same, she meant how he acted all the time when they were together. Like her best friend. He hadn't swept her up in a passionate kiss or dragged her across the bench seat of his truck to sit in his lap as they made out.

In fact, he had barely touched her. That was one strange way he had been acting. Usually they would nudge each other when they teased or there shoulders brushed as they walked. None of that had happened in the past few days.

Daryl seemed off, but only to her. Milton and Merle hadn't noticed anything strange with him and if they had, they hadn't told her.

Pulling into her driveway, Carol noticed there was a car parked in it that she didn't recognize.

Daryl looked over at her, curiosity furrowing his brow. "Yer dad get a new car? Or do ya have a visitor?"

"I don't know." Opening the door, she threw over her shoulder as she exited the truck. "I'll see you tomorrow." Then, she was walking towards the mysterious car.

Before she could reach the driver's side, the door was opening and a pretty blond stepped out. Carol recognized her immediately.

"Andrea!" She smiled, then turned behind her to see that Daryl was still parked there and watching the two. She waved him away, insuring him that everything was alright.

With a barely there nod, he was pulling out of the driveway and driving away.

"I'm sorry to just be waiting here." Andrea ran a hand through her hair and smiled a tad bit nervously. "I know it makes me look real creepy."

"No," Carol assured her. "You're fine. Really."

"Are you sure?" At Carol's nod she continued. "Well, I'm actually here for a reason; Prom's tomorrow." She stated.

"Um, yes. I know." Carol laughed. "Going, remember?"

"Uh, yeah, I knew that. Anyways, I was just wondering if you wanted to get coffee or something." She leaned against her car. "I would like to get to know you more, if that's alright?"

"Sure!" She smiled. "Just let me drop off my bag in the house and we can go."  
\-----------------------------------  
"What the fuck ya doin'?" Daryl asked when he stepped into their living room to find newspapers land out on almost every available surface.

Merle looked up from one of the pages to glare at his younger brother. "The fuck ya think?"

Daryl shrugged. "I don't know. Are ya tryin' to make yerself a little sailor hat?" He smirked.

Crumpling up the nearest newspaper page, Merle whipped the ball of paper at his brother's face and hit him right between the eyes.

"I'm lookin' for a fuckin' job, asshole!" He growled.

"What?" Daryl stepped back in mock shock. "Yer lookin' for a job? Shit, is the world ending?" Walking over to the window, he looked out. "Has the zombie apocalypse finally started?"

"Shut up!" His brother yelled, and then in a much quieter tone, he added. "Thought it was 'bout time I got off my ass and got to workin'. Could always use the money."

Daryl took a seat next to him, careful not to rustle any of the pages lying in the couch's arms. "It's because of that Maggie girl, ain't it?"

Merle's back tensed at the name and he refused to look over at his younger brother. "No." He growled. "Can't a man jus' want a job so he could support hisself? Fuck!"

"Uh huh." Daryl grabbed the remote control and started to flip through the channels on his TV. "Whatever ya say."  
\---------------------------------------  
There was only one coffee shop in their small town and, no, it wasn't Starbucks. Carol argued, though, that is was just as good and less expensive. She had taken Daryl there a couple times, rolling her eyes every time he ordered a normal coffee while she always went for the crazy flavors.

"White mocha caramel latte, please." She said to the barista and turned to Andrea. "What do you want? My treat."

"No, you don't have to do that, Carol." Andrea reached for her wallet. "It was my idea in the first place."

Carol only smiled and grabbed the wallet out of her hand. "My treat. Now, what do you want?"

"Um," she stepped forward and scanned the menu. "I guess I'll have the same as you." Turning to face Carol, she waited until she was done making the order before she spoke. "I've never been here before."

"I love it!" Carol moved down the counter and settled in front of the space where they would get their coffees. "I would come here more often if I didn't have Daryl to hang out with so much. He's so boring when it comes to coffee."

Andrea laughed. "Men usually are."

Their orders were ready, grabbing the steaming cups they headed to a table close to the window. Looking out at the glass, not many people were out walking around such was the case in their small town.

"When I lived in Atlanta, me and my dad would go to the Starbucks there and he would always order just a plain coffee. Then he wouldn't put any sugar or creamer in it. Gross." She laughed, lost in a memory. "He use to tell me that my teeth would rot out with all the sugar and cream I put in my own coffee. I just laughed at him and proceeded to pour spoonful after spoonful in."

Carol laughed. "Daryl has a weakness for sugar too, he won't admit it. He thinks all men should drink their coffee black." She ran a finger around the cup of her still too-hot coffee. "There was this one time I made a pot of coffee at my house and thought it would be funny to switch the sugar out with salt. He wasn't too happy with me."

Andrea choked on her coffee as she laughed. "Oh my God, Carol, you're horrible!"

Carol laughed alongside her. "Daryl and I have played plenty of pranks on each other over the years. I'm sure he's paid me back multiple times."

"He loves you, you know." The blonde stated and took a sip of her drink.

"What?" She asked, shocked.

Andrea immediately covered her mouth with both hands. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. That just slipped out. I do that a lot."

"I-It's alright." Why was so nervous all of a sudden? "And of course, Daryl loves me. I love him, too. We're best friends."

"Milton was right." Andrea muttered, not looking at her.

Once again, Carol's head shot up. "What?"

"Oh, nothing." she waved her hand. "But since we're on the subject of you and Daryl-"

"Andrea-"

"Relax, Carol," she smiled. "I was just going to say that Daryl must care for you a lot if he messed up Ed, like he did."

Carol snorted. "If he hadn't, I would have. Ed deserved a good ass-kicking."

"I agree. He tried asking me to prom a few weeks ago, but I already decided that I was going to ask Milton."

"Speaking of Milton." Carol was glad for the subject change. "Why did you decide to ask Milton? Not that there's anything wrong with him, of course, I was just wondering."

Andrea shrugged. "I don't know. I had a few classes with him and he just seemed to sweet and nice. Then I saw that he started hanging around with you and Daryl. Figured he wasn't such a bad guy and so, I asked."

"He's so happy you did."

"Really?" Andrea bit at her bottom lip. "I know we've talked and stuff since then, but I've been thinking that he might think that this is a joke or something. I really do like him and if all goes well, I'm hoping we could go out or something."

Carol slid a comforting hand over Andrea's. "He really likes you, Andrea, and he never thought you would do something like that to him. Trust me."

"Good." She let out a sigh of relief. "You know, Carol. I think me and you will become good friends."

Carol smiled. "I think so too."  
\-----------------------------------  
Carol waved as Andrea pulled out of her driveway and headed into her house. As much as she loved Daryl being her best friend, it was nice to actually have a girl to talk about certain things with. With Daryl, she couldn't talk about the kind of make-up she should use or the actors she thought were the most sexy.  
\---------------------------------  
Friday was here already. Merle looked at himself in the mirror and scowled. What the fuck was he doing? Going out with Maggie Greene? The same Maggie Greene, who went to church with her family every Sunday, who's dad was the local veterinarian and who was clearly way out of his fuckin' league!

Throwing his toothbrush hard into the sink, he stormed out of the bathroom and was about to go to his bedroom, where he would hide for the rest of the night, when he saw his baby brother stepping through the door after dropping Carol off.

Fuck, didn't he give Daryl a hard time for not going after his woman? If he didn't go out with Maggie tonight, that would make him a hypocrite and a pussy and Merle Dixon wasn't either of those!

"Hey!" He called to his brother, who was about to sit down on the couch. "Swap me keys." He fished in his pocket and threw his motorcycles keys at Daryl. They landed on the couch next to him.

"What for?" Daryl asked, looking at him. "My truck's a piece of shit and ya wanna pick up Maggie in it?"

"I got plans for it. Now, let me have yer fuckin' keys."

Daryl groaned. "Hell no! Ya plan on fuckin' her in it, ain't ya? There ain't no way in hell I'm lettin' ya take it, if that's what ya plan on doin'."

"It wouldn't be the first time." Merle smirked.

"Fuck, Merle!" Daryl searched his pockets and then angrily threw his keys at his brother. "That's fuckin' gross."

He pocketed the keys. "Don' worry, bro, it only happened once and it was in the back seat." Merle rubbed his chin in thought. "Ya can only do so much on a bike."

"I don't fuckin' wanna know!"

"Fine then, yer loss. Now, I best be off. Maggie's waitin' for me!" He headed towards the door. "Oh, and thanks fer lettin' me use the truck. I 'ppreciate it." Then he was gone.  
\-----------------------------------  
Andrea had opted to get ready with Carol at her house, since both her parents were working and wouldn't be there to take pictures.

"Milton is going to faint when he sees you, Andrea." Carol commented with a smile, finishing up the last touches of her friend's make-up.

"Really?" Andrea eyed herself in the mirror. Her hair was pulled from her face and perfectly shaped curls cascaded down her back. Her dress was a strapless one; it was a rose-color and complemented her skin tone nicely. Milton was going to die when he saw his date.

The blonde turned and faced her friend. "And Daryl is going to wish he was going to prom with us, once he sees you."

Carol blushed. "Stop." Her stomach fluttered as she thought about stepping out of the house in her dress and seeing him. Would he think she looked beautiful? Would he compliment her?

Would he kiss her again? Dear God, she hoped so.  
\----------------------------------  
Daryl pulled up alongside Milton, in Carol's driveway, on Daryl's bike. The girls had yet to emerge from the house and Milton was leaning against his car, in his tux, waiting.

"How long they been in there?" Daryl asked, kicking the kickstand down and walking over to join his friend.

"Hours." Milton muttered. "Or it feels like hours."

Daryl chuckled. "That's a woman for ya, always takin' forever to get ready and shit."

"Hey!" Someone called from the doorway. "You take that back, Daryl Dixon." Just then Carol and Andrea stepped out of the house. He was pretty sure he was going to have to pick his jaw off from the ground. Carol was trying to fucking kill him!

Of course, her dress would be blue. The same exact blue of her eyes. The bodice of the dress clung tightly to her torso, but the rest of the dress flared out at her waist.

Looking closely, he could see little silver stairs scattered all over the skirt of the dress and they seemed to be catching the sun. She also was wearing a small blue shawl around her shoulders with the same little silver stars.

She looked absolutely beautiful.

He didn't even notice when Andrea had approached her date, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Turning to Daryl, she, not so subtly, pushed him towards Carol.

Carol looked up at him and smiled as he stumbled forward. "Hi."

"Uh, hey." His hand went to the back of his head as he searched for words to say. "You, uh, you like nice. The dress matches yer eyes."

"Thanks." Her smile widened. "That was the point!" They stood there silently staring at each other, both of them not knowing what to do next.

"Alright!" Andrea exclaimed, breaking the silence and held up a camera. "Pictures!"  
\--------------------------------  
After what seemed like a thousand pictures, the three of them stepped into Milton's car, ready to head to the school. Carol peered out her window and watched as Daryl straddled his bike, still standing, forearms resting against the handlebars. God, he looked so...handsome. His eyes never seemed to leave hers, even through the window and that was when she made a decision.

"Stop!" She cried right before Milton pulled out into the street. She opened the door, even before the car was completely stopped and began running to her best friend. Probably not a good idea in heels, but she didn't care.

He was watching her, eyes narrowing in confusion, as she approached him. Slightly out of breath, she looked up at him and smiled. "Hi."

He stepped over the bike and stood fully in front of her, hands on his hips. "Ain't ya gonna be late?"

She shook her head, still smiling widely and then without another word she flung her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his.

His hands went to her hips to study her, his surprise not lasting long. Then finally, finally, he began to kiss her back.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Daryl felt the loss of her lips the moment she began to pull away from him and without another thought he had chased them with his, initiating a kiss of his own. Her fingers began to creep into his hair and he pulled her closer, arms wrapping around her waist.

Why the hell hadn't they been doing this sooner? God, he could kiss her forever.

"Hey!" Andrea yelled from Milton's car. Unfortunately, they didn't have forever right now. "We're going to be late if you guys don't stop making out!"

Carol pulled back from him reluctantly, he noticed, and smiled. "I have to go now." Her eyes trailed down to his lips, and then back up again to his eyes.

"Ya don't gotta." He replied, pulling her even more closely. "Ya can just stay here with me. It'd be more fun."

"And what," her hands slid from his hair to interlock behind his neck. "Exactly do you plan on us doing instead?" Her grin turned mischievous.

"More of this." He closed the gap between them once again.

This time someone honked the horn and both Milton and Andrea's heads were outside of the windows, looking at the new couple.

"Look," Milton called. "We are both happy for you, but if we don't leave now the Grand March will be over before we even get there!"

All Daryl wanted to do was lift up his middle finger to the both of them and drag Carol inside her home, press her against the door and kiss her breathless. Carol had other plans though, and her hands left his neck so each hand wrapped around one of his wrists and tugged at them to let her go.

"I have to go." She smiled. "But, I'll see you later, okay?"

"Later is too far away." He pouted, almost shocked at what he said. He was turning into some lovesick boyfriend. Were him and Carol, boyfriend and girlfriend now? Did that mean he had to take her on dates? Did he have to tell her father?

Fuck.

"Daryl?" Carol questioned, searching his face. "Everything alright?" One hand was on his cheek, slowly turning it to face her.

"Oh, uh, yea." He reassured her with a small smile. "Now get ya ass in that car before they come and drag ya too it."

"Okay." She quickly pecked him on the lips and ran back to the car. With one last wave, they were backing out and driving away.

Daryl watched them leave with a sigh. He already missed her and didn't care if that made him sound like a pussy. Mounting his bike, he revved it up and drove back home to spend the rest of the night by himself.  
\--------------------------------------  
Jesus Christ, was he fucking nervous? Merle rubbed his sweaty palms on his dark jeans as he waited in front of the door to the Greene household. He had only rung the doorbell a few seconds before and it was only a matter of time before someone answered.

Please don't be her old man, please don't be her old man, he chanted to himself. The last thing he wanted to deal with right now was Maggie's father giving him the evil eye or, dear Lord, asking him when was the last time he had gone to church!

The door began to ease open and all he wanted to do was turn tail and get the hell out of there, but instead of the veterinarian, a petite blonde-haired girl stood there. She looked to be around sixteen and had large, expressive eyes.

"You're Merle Dixon, aren't you?" Her voice was soft as she asked and at his nod, she turned to the inside of the house and yelled. "Maggie! Your date is here!"

"Coming!" He heard Maggie call from somewhere in the house and soon she appeared next to her sister. "Hey." She smiled when she saw him. "You ready?"

He could only nod, his mouth going dry at the sight of her. She was wearing a tight green shirt, it matched her eyes and the neckline plunged just enough to show a little cleavage, nothing drastic and she wore a pair of short denim shorts. Not super short, like all the skanky girls wore, but enough to show off a bit of tanned leg. This girl was going to be the death of him!

She must have noticed Merle staring, because she smoothed down the front of her shirt. "Um, you said that I didn't need to dress up in anything fancy. I hope this is alright?"

"It better be." Beth huffed from her spot beside her sister. "I was the one who picked it out." She looked up at Merle. "Tell my sister she looks hot and then get on with your date already." She said in a stern voice, but the corners of her mouth were slightly turned up.

"Well, uh, ya ready to, uh, go?" For once in his fucking life, he didn't know what to say. Who replaced Merle mother fuckin' Dixon with a damn pussy?  
\-------------------------------  
Carol sipped at her punch and watched as the couples on the dance floor swayed to the soft music that was playing. Her eyes going towards one particular couple more than the others. Milton and Andrea. Smiling, she noticed as Milton slowly started to become comfortable with Andrea's proximity and pulled her a tad more closely to his body.

He looked over at Carol, almost as if to ask if he was doing all right. She nodded and gave him a small thumbs-up. . He seemed pleased and then turned his focus back on Andrea.

Carol's eyes began to scan the group of people not dancing and they stopped when they reached the form of Ed Peletier. He stood against the wall, across the room, and was glaring at her. Even from her, she could tell that the bruises on his face hadn't healed yet, just like the bruises on her arms hadn't. Self-consciously she pulled her shawl closer, hoping no one could see the fingerprint shaped bruises. Thinking about how they got there, made Carol want to march across the room, dump her punch all-over his rented tux and give him a good, hard kick in the balls.

The bastard deserved it!

She didn't notice that the music had stopped, until Andrea and Milton stood next to her and Andrea gently grabbed her hand.

"Carol!" She cried. "You're going to get punch all over your dress." She gently took the cup from her shaking hands.

"Oh, sorry." She apologized, then turned her back on Ed and faced her friends. "I just saw Ed and I kind of got a little...angry."

"The fucking prick." Andrea growled. "Milton told me what happened the other day. I'm glad Daryl smashed his face in. Maybe next time he should bash it until it's unrecognizable." She then began to clench the same cup and Milton had to take it from her gently and set it on a nearby table.

Milton turned to Carol. "And there is going to be a next time, isn't there?" He questioned.

"What?" Carol asked, surprised. Sure, Ed was a dick but was Daryl really going to be beating his ass again? "Why would you say that?"

His gaze went to her arms and he pulled down the shawl to reveal the purple marks. Andrea gasped beside her, and then pulled down the shawl on her other arm to reveal a mirror image of the bruises.

"Oh my God, Carol. He didn't. That piece of-"

Carol turned to Milton, effectively cutting off Andrea before she shouted out an expletive. "How did you know?"

"When we were walking in the Grand March, your shawl had slipped a little." He pushed his glasses up further on his nose. "And I can only guess who put him there, since I know Daryl would never put a harmful hand on you."

Carol covered her arms with her hands and looked away from both of them. "Please, don't tell Daryl."

"What?!" Andrea nearly exploded. "He deserves to know and he knows to beat Ed Peletier to a pulp!"

"That's what I'm afraid of." Carol muttered.

"But don't you want that to happen." The blonde put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Carol that man hurt you; he deserves a good ass kicking!"

"He does." Carol agreed. "But not by Daryl. It can't be by him. Ed threatened to go to the police the last time and I know if he did, Daryl would probably go to jail. There isn't much love for the Dixons here."

"That is true, unfortunately." Milton agreed. "But something must be done about him. He had no right to harm you."

"I know and if there is anything I can do to get him back, I'm going to do it!"

Just then, the lights in the room brightened and their principal stepped up onto the stage, a microphone in his hand and a bright smile on his lips.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he said. "It is time, now, to announce this year's Prom King and Queen!" Within a few seconds, everyone was gathered around the stage, anxiously waiting for the announcement.

"First, our Prom King." He opened an envelope and pulled a small white card out. "And the man who gets to wear the crown is..." he paused, dramatically. "Ed Peletier!"

Many of the girls cheered, while Milton, Andrea and Carol groaned, as Ed took the steps to the stage to be crowned. His grin was cocky as the crown was placed on his head and his eyes grazed the crowd. They settled on Carol and he gave her a wink. She wanted to punch him right in the nose, hopefully breaking it this time.

"And," the principal continued. "Our Prom Queen!" Opening another envelope, he looked down at the crowd of students in front of him. "She is... Jessica Vatin."

Carol clapped for her, glad that her...friend had won. Jessica looked ecstatic as she accepted her crown and waved at the crown.

"Now, everyone, clear the dance floor so that our King and Queen can share a dance together."

Instantly Jessica's smile vanished. The idea of dancing with Ed was obviously unappealing to her and Carol didn't blame her. The two took the dance floor, slow music played and they began to dance. Jessica was stiff in his arms, clearly not wanting to be close to him at all, and Carol watched in horror as one of Ed's hands began to travel southward on her back.

She wasn't the only one that noticed it. Jessica suddenly stopped her 'dancing' and slapped him hard in the face.

"You ass!" She shrieked. "I can't believe you would even think you could do that to me!" She didn't care that she had an audience. Then with a hard stomp on his foot with her heel, she walked away.

Carol went off to talk to her, while Andrea applauded loudly.  
\----------------------------------------  
Daryl didn't return home until dark, he had wanted to do a little hunting before settling in for the night. Knowing it was too late to actual catch anything, he had gone into the woods to think. Of course, Carol was the one to plague his thought.

His Carol, he thought with a smile. She was his and he was hers. The kisses they shared only a few hours earlier had cemented the fact. Maybe now, Merle would finally get off his back and him and Milton would stop acting so strange.

Gravel crunched under his boots as he neared the house, there was a single light shining through the windows and Daryl briefly wondered if Merle was back from his date already. Turning the corner, he didn't find his truck in the driveway, but his pa's.

He just wanted to turn around and head straight back into the woods, but he knew it wasn't safe out there at night. Carol wasn't home and he had no other place to go, so he took a deep breath and stepped through the door.

The smell of alcohol hit his nostrils immediately and he found his pa sprawled out on the couch, watching TV. The man looked up at his son and instantly his eyes grew hard.

"Where ya been, boy?" He slurred and stood up, very unsteady on his feet. "And where's tha' piece of shit older brother of yers. I'm fuckin' starvin' and there ain't nothin' in the damn kitchen."

Daryl knew there was still a small bit if deer meat in the freezer and went to side step his father so he could cook it up for him.

"Hey!" His pa growled and roughly grabbed him by the arm. "I asked ya fuckin' question!" Without warning, a fist collided with Daryl's cheek and he fell to the ground, with his father standing, or swaying, above him. "Tha'll teach ya to disrespect me, boy!"

Daryl slowly climbed to his feet. He knew his pa wanted a fight, but he wasn't going to give him one. Not tonight. Not ever. So he turned his back on him and headed straight for the door.

"Hey, where ya think yer goin'?" His pa stumbled after him, almost falling on his face.

"Fuck you." And he was out the door, on his bike and headed to the only place that ever felt like home.

Carol's house.  
\-------------------------------------

"This is pretty romantic, Merle." Maggie spoke from beside him.

Together, they were lying on their backs in the bed of Daryl's truck and gazed at the stars. Merle had never done this in his entire life and couldn't help but feel grateful to Milton for suggesting it.

"It's nice to jus' sit back and look at the stars, ain't it?" He turned his head to look at her and was surprised to see that she was watching him too.

"Yeah." She smiled, then she sat up. A frown now on her face.

"What?" Merle followed suit, his shoulder brushing hers. Had he done something wrong? Did his breath stink? Had his deodorant run out?

"I need to be heading home soon." She sounded disappointed, which made him feel a little better. "I just remembered that Daddy asked me to go with him to visit one of his patients tomorrow morning." Her mouth turned into a grimace. "I hate getting up early and plus, I wanted this date to last a little longer." She grabbed his large hand and squeezed.

"Me too." Merle squeezed her hand back. "So, does tha' mean a date number two?"

"Yep!" She hopped off the bed and landed on her feet. "And you know what the third date means." She winked and headed towards the cab of the trunk, leaving a speechless Merle behind.  
\---------------------------------  
Daryl sighed in relief, when Milton's car pulled into her driveway and Carol stepped out. Giving him a questioning look, she waved goodbye to Andrea and Milton and headed towards him. He met her halfway.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked, then noticed the bruising on his cheek. "Oh my God, what happened?"

Daryl looked away from her. "My pa."

Her cool fingers lightly danced over his swollen cheek and he couldn't help but lean into her hand. Her touch felt so good.

"It's settled then." She said firmly.

"What?" He asked.

"You're staying the night with me."  
\------------------------------------  
Merle was driving on a high. He had just dropped Maggie off at her home, but she hadn't left the vehicle without giving him a goodnight kiss. If they had kept going like they had, Merle didn't doubt that he would have had sex for a second time in that truck.

Actually, he was glad this date hadn't ended up with them in bed, which was an odd thing for him to say. But Maggie wasn't a 'have sex on the first date' kind of girl. In fact, he didn't even think that she would be a 'sex on the third date' either, even though she had teased him about it.

Maggie was someone that deserved to have their relationship slow and Merle couldn't see them hopping into bed anytime soon and that was actually fine by him.

He pulled into their driveway, right next to his old man's truck and hoped he was in his room asleep. He didn't want his night to be ruined by his pa.

It was not to be, though. Opening the door, he found his father on the couch, beer bottle littered around his feet and blood-shot eyes fixed on the TV. Those eyes soon found him.

"Where the fuck ya been at?" He stood up and Merle noticed that the knuckles on one of his hands were split.

Daryl. The fuck had he done to Daryl?

The next thing he knew a fist was slamming into his gut, causing him to double over. A right hook to his face sent him sprawling.

"Ya need to teach that baby brother of yers some manners!" His pa roared, sending a swift kick to his stomach.

The air left him and he laid there gasping, but he knew he had to get up. Knew that he was too vulnerable down there on the ground. He was not going to fight back, though. That was exactly what his pa wanted and the last time he had, he had wound up in the hospital.

"Wha's wit' ya two?" Buck Dixon grabbed his oldest son by the collar of his shirt. "Neither of ya know how ta answer yer daddy when he's speakin' to ya!"

Merle shoved him away, but even drunk his pa still had fast reflexes and he threw another punch. This one set Merle flying backwards, then there was a crack! as his head connected with the coffee table and everything went black.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Daryl followed Carol to her bedroom, his hands instantly growing sweaty. Why did his mind have to go there? They were clearly not ready for that stage in their relationship, nowhere near it in fact, but the sight of her in that dress and her neatly made bed...

"Daryl?" She asked, turning around to face him.

"Yeah?" He answered his voice slightly raspy and he cleared his throat. "Is there somethin' ya wanted?"

She smiled. "I want you to lie down on the bed, so I can take care of you." Was it just him or had her voice taken on a seductive tone?

"What?" He took a step back, nearly running into the corner of her dresser.

"I said I want you to sit on the bed and let me take care of that bruise." She repeated herself, her voice sounding normal and her eyes searched his, narrowing slightly in confusion.

He obeyed, but protested when she went to leave the room to fetch a bag of ice. "Jesus, Carol, its jus' a bruise. I've had worse." He wanted to pat the bed next to him, to silently tell her that he wanted her near him. Instead, he looked down at her feet. "How 'bout ya get outta them things. They don't look that comfortable."

With a sigh, she plopped next to him on the bed and caused their shoulders to bump against each other. "Oh God, they aren't." She bent over, pulled the heels from her aching feet, and threw them into her open closet, not caring if the pair was separated. Lifting her feet off the ground, supporting her weight on her hands, she smiled as she wiggled her toes. "Much better." Then she stood up, back facing him, she looked over her shoulder at him and lifted up her hair. "Can you unzip me? I can't reach it."

His mouth went dry at the thought of him undressing her. Unable to speak for fear his voice would come out in a squeak, he nodded and reached for the zipper. He tried to will his hands to stop shaking, but they wouldn't listen to him as he pulled down the zipper, revealing more and more of Carol's smooth, milky skin. With a start, he noticed she wasn't wearing a bra and he thought his brain was going to explode. What was she trying to do to him? Kill him?

The zipper stopped mid-back and Daryl thanked the Lord, or whoever was listening, that it hadn't gone down any farther.

Carol turned around then and quickly grabbed one of the straps before it fell. "Um, thanks." She seemed almost as flustered as he did. "I'm going to, uh, take a shower now. I'll be out in five minutes."

Daryl snorted in disbelief.

"Okay, okay." She rolled her eyes. "Ten minutes." She turned and left the room, only to return minutes later, still clutching the front of her dress. "Uh, I forgot to grab some clothes." She made quick work of finding clothes, and then once again left the room.

Daryl shook his head at her, a small smile playing on his lips. His thumb went to his mouth and he gnawed on the skin there, wondering what he should do now while he waited. His eyes roamed the room, noticing how plain and non-girly it seemed. That was something he hadn't been expecting of a girl's room. Where were the pink walls? The boy band posters? But he knew Carol and it actually really didn't surprise him that she didn't have any of those things.

His eyes then settled on the Cherokee Roses she had picked; now wilting in their cup of water and resting next to the cup was the Cherokee rose he had made out of clay. His heart beat a little faster when he saw it. She hadn't been lying about having it on her dresser. Turning his body, he faced the little night side table and fingered the well-read paperback sitting there. As he moved, the bed bounced a little and he wondered what it felt like to sleep in.

So, he toed off his boots, neatly placed them beside her bed and then laid down on top of the covers with his head resting on the pillows. The bed was comfortable as hell. Maybe Carol would let him sleep here...with her. His eyes shot open at the thought of sleeping so close to her. Good Lord knew he wanted too.

"Comfortable?" Her voice came from the doorway, a smile on her face, pajamas clinging to her still damp body and a towel wrapped around her head.

Looking at the small clock beside her bed, he smirked over at her. "Yer late. Ya was in there for twelve minutes."

A wet towel sailed through the air and landed on his face, causing the room to go suddenly black.

"Hey!" He protested, whipping the towel and prepared to throw it back at her, but she had disappeared. Sitting up, he looked around and didn't see her anywhere.

"In the kitchen!" She called to him, knowing that he would be looking for her.

Grumbling, he climbed out of the bed, picked up her towel and headed to the bathroom to hang it up for her. He was a nice gentleman like that and now he made his way to the kitchen, thinking of ways he could grab her and kiss her senseless.

She must have sensed when he stepped into the kitchen, because she asked, with her back still turned, "Do you what me to make you a sandwich?"

Daryl walked over, hopped on the counter next to where she stood. "Sure." He gently nudged her leg was his toe. "I think I like ya in the kitchen makin' me a sandwich."

"Hey!" She slapped his leg, then pointed a butter knife at his nose. "I can always make you make your own sandwich. Heck, I'll make you make me one too, then you can bring it to me in the living room and massage my feet as I eat it." She set the knife down and moved to leave.

Daryl's hand shot out and grabbed her by the arm, missing her tiny wince. "Where ya goin'?"

"What?" She smirked. "You afraid that I'm really going to make you make your own sandwich?"

"Naw," he smiled. "I jus' don't like it when yer far from me." He tugged her closer with one foot wrapping around her leg.

"I was just going to the fridge to get us something to drink."

"Too far." His hands traveled up her arms and cupped her face. "I like ya right here." Then he leaned his head down and kissed her. She eagerly responded, going up on her tiptoes and wrapping her arms around his neck.

A few seconds passed before she pulled back slightly, their lips still brushing slightly.

"You know," she said against his mouth. "It's normally the girl that's on the counter while a cute boy kisses her. Height differences and all."

He smirked. "I can arrange that." With one motion, he hopped off the counter, wrapped his hands around her waist, lifted her and set her in the spot he had just vacated. Not once had his lips left hers.

Standing there, eye level with her, hands resting on either side of her thighs, her legs cautiously began to wrap around his waist and all Daryl wanted to do now was deepen the kiss.

Jesus, he didn't know how to do that. All he had to go on was those stupid romantic comedies Carol always made him watch.

The only thing that gave him courage was the fact that he was pretty sure she didn't know what the hell she was doing either. So with that thought pushing him forward he ran the tip of his tongue hesitantly across her bottom lip.

He almost panicked when her eyes snapped open and she pulled back a little, her breath hitching. Shit. Did she think he was some sort of...?

He didn't even have time to finish the thought before her lips were on his again, her arms locking around his neck. He felt her lips part then and suddenly, without him even realizing how it even happened, his tongue was sliding against the softness of her own. She tilted her head slightly, hands going to his hair, pulling him even closer as she allowed him to deepen the kiss even more.

He was becoming hyper aware of her closeness. Her chest pressed against his own, her legs wrapped firmly around his waist. It was sensory overload. He let his hands slide up her thighs slowly until he had his arms around her waist. He didn't hesitate anymore. He pulled her until there was no space between them at all. Her breath caught again.

His hands were nearly shaking and he didn't even know why. What he did know was that there was more of her than just her mouth that he wanted to taste. When he pulled his lips away from hers she made a frustrated little sound in the back of her throat that caused him to chuckle right before he kissed her jaw lightly. He moved his head, trailing kisses down her neck until he could feel the pulse throbbing under his lips. He followed the same trail back up until she was greedily kissing him once more. He couldn't believe he was actually good at this kissing thing.

Unfortunately, a few minutes later, few amazing minutes later, Carol separated their lips. Daryl stopped a whine from leaving his throat and looked up at her.

"I really need to finish making our food." Her breathing was still coming out in fast pants and Daryl felt pride in doing that to her.

"Not hungry." he growled and placed a kiss on her neck, then stepped away from her reluctantly.

Hopping off the counter, she went back up on her tiptoes once her feet hit the ground and gave him a quick peck before going back to what she had been doing before he came in.  
\--------------------------------  
Well-fed and tired, they were lazing on the couch watching late-night TV shows. None of them were interested with anything on the screen and struggled to keep their eyes open. It had been a long day.

Carol reached over and clicked off the TV with the remote and then turned to Daryl. "Did you want to take a shower before bed?"

Daryl tightened his arm around her. "Are ya sayin' I stink, woman?"

"And if I am?" She smirked.

"Then I'm gonna be sleepin' on the couch." He lifted his arm from her shoulders, to cross both of them over his chest as he looked at her.

Carol got a teasing glint in her eye. "Aren't you supposed to be threatening me with sleeping on the couch? And besides, what makes you think I was going to have you sleep in my bed with me?" The apple of her cheeks began to turn red and she had trouble looking him in the eye.

Daryl couldn't look at her either, feeling like an idiot that he assumed something like that. "Um, well, I..."

Carol placed a hand on his. "It's alright." She squeaked, cleared her throat and continued talking. "I was going to ask you if you wanted to...join me, but I didn't know how to ask."

"If ya had asked, the answer would have been yes."

She looked up at him and smiled her heart racing whenever she looked into those clear, beautiful blue eyes.

"Well, how 'bout that shower?" He stood up and offered his hand to help her up as well.

"Okay." She wrapped an arm around his waist. "I'll go find some of my dad's old clothes, so you'll have something to change into."

Ten minutes later, he was freshly showered and clothed in one of Carol's dad's old sweatpants and t-shirt. Standing awkwardly in the doorway, he watched as she looked to be engrossed in the small paperback novel.

"Are you going to come in or what?" The book was beside her now and she looked up at him, expectantly. Even though her tone of voice hadn't suggested it, she was just as nervous as he was.

They had, not an hour ago, been making out in her kitchen. Daryl wondered if things would have gone further if either one of them had been more experienced with things like that.

"Daryl?" Her head was cocked slightly to the left as she looked at him questioningly. "You coming?"

"Oh, um, yeah..." He took a few steps forward and then stopped, faced the doorway and shut the door. The last thing he wanted to happen was for her father to come home and see him sleeping in the same bed as his daughter.

"Good idea." Carol giggled as he nervously lifted up the covers to slip underneath them. "I'm sure my dad wouldn't do anything to you if he caught you here." She reached over to the small lamp by her bed and turned it off, plunging the room into darkness. She sidled up to him, wrapping on arm around his waist and settling her head on his chest. "But then again, I've never had a boy in my bed before."


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Maggie Greene lay awake in her bed, staring at her ceiling, even though the numbers on the clock continued to tick by. Morning would come soon and she would have to get up to go with her father to the Johnson's stables just down the road. But try as she might she couldn't shut her eyes and instead focused them on the dozens of glow-in-the- dark stars she had littered all over ceiling.

Beth would occasionally walk in her room, see her looking at those stars and roll her eyes. At sixteen, she had thought herself too old for the little lights and had taken them down. Only to replace them with posters of boy bands and pictures with friends.

Maggie considered herself a grown woman. She was, after all, twenty-two years old, but looking at those small stars made her think of her mother and the fun they had putting them up. She had been eleven at the time and wanted to put all the constellations she could think of up there.

She had given up after finding the perfect place for both the little and big dipper. Her mother laughed as she held a five-year-old Bethie in her arms and watched her oldest daughter figure out where she wanted to put the North Star.

Beth had squirmed out of her mother's arms and proclaimed that she wanted to put stars on her ceiling as well. Mrs. Greene followed the little blonde child and together they closed their eyes and placed stars wherever they wanted.

It had been such a fun time for all three Greene girls. Sadly, there hadn't been anymore of those times together. A few weeks after, their mother died in a terrible car crash.

Tonight, though, was different. Looking up at those stars, she didn't think of her mother. Instead, she was back in the bed of a truck and snuggled close to the oldest Dixon brother.

Merle Dixon.

She had first taken notice of him the first time she had stepped foot in the shady bar on the outskirts of town. Her and her father had just gotten into an argument and she had decided to rebel. Stepping through those doors in short shorts and a tight tank top had probably not been one of her smartest decisions, as she quickly became the target for every male there.

She took a seat at the bar, ordered her drink and tried to ignore the leering grins from the three men sitting near her. Why had she thought this was a good idea again? Maybe she should have just gone to the movies with Beth...

Just then, there was a commotion near the door, everyone's attention shifted from her and to the spot where the noise was coming from. Three smaller men were forcing a large, well-built man out. They were clearly struggling. The larger man had short blond hair that was cut close to his head and at a glance didn't look to be that handsome, but when he turned and met her eyes with the brightest blue she had ever seen, her breath caught in her throat.

Giving her a wink, he was finally shoved out the door and out of sight. That wink had made her stomach flutter and in that, moment she decided that she was going to come back next week in hopes of actually talking to the man. There had just been something about him.

Sure enough the next week, she found him sitting at the bar and when he turned to face her, she got the impression that he had been waiting to see her as well. She was disappointed to find that he only seemed to want to get in her pants, so she played hard to get in hopes that maybe he would see that she was actually worth more than a one-night lay.

She knew she was worth more than that, much more, but she just wanted him to see that too. Eventually he did.

Eventually he had asked her on a date, a real date and not just a trip to the alley or something like that. He surprised her even more, after their dinner at the diner, when he drove his brother's truck to an abandon field and stopped in the middle of it. When he pulled out a blanket, fear coursed through her. Was he expecting them to do that on their first date?

Within seconds, her fears were squashed when he announced, somewhat sheepishly, if she would like to gaze at the stars with him. Who would have thought that a rough redneck like Merle Dixon would be asking a farmer's daughter to gaze at the stars with him?

She had agreed happily and hoped up in the truck bed with him. Soon, she was snuggled against his side and he had his arm wrapped around her. It had been the best date and the best night of her life.

Her eyes drifted shut, mind still on Merle and outside lightening, began to flash as a storm began to roll through. Much like the storm that had just occurred at the Dixon household. But she wouldn't find out about that until later.  
\----------------------------------------  
Thunder crashed loudly, the window shook with the force and Carol found herself clutching the warm body in the bed next to her.

Daryl shifted and she felt his head lift off the pillow to look down at her. "What's wrong?" He asked, pulling her closer with the arm that was wrapped around her waist.

At that moment, thunder crashed again and she jumped.

"Oh," he chuckled, head falling back to his pillow. "Ya scared of thunder. I remember now. I still don't understand why, it ain't gonna hurt ya none."

"Hey!" She sat up and leaned over him, hair falling on his chest. "I'm not scared of just the thunder, Daryl. I'm afraid of the lightening and the wind and, oh yeah, the chance that there could be a tornado coming ready to suck us all up!"

He pressed firmly on her back, causing her to crush her chest closer to his. Lightening flashed and she saw that he was smirking up at her.

"It's not funny!" She cried.

His chest shook in silent laughter; she huffed and climbed off him. This caused Daryl to sit up and reach for her again.

"Hey," he pulled her close and rested his chin on her shoulder. "When was the last time a little spring storm turned into a tornado?"

She shrugged.

"'Xactly. Now, lie down and go back to sleep. I'm fuckin' tired and all that squirmin' around your doing is keepin' me up." He tried pulling her down with him, but she wiggled out of his grasp and turned to face him.

"It's raining, Daryl." The rain was pounding hard against her window.

"So?" He huffed. "Don't tell me you're scared of that too." His hands went behind his head and he shut his eyes.

"Merle's bike is out there."

Daryl eyes shot open and within seconds, he was up and out of bed. "Shit!" He cursed and raced outside. Carol watched, holding her giggles behind her hand until he left the room.

Fuck.

Merle would kill him if he found out he had left his precious bike out in the Goddamn rain. It was going to need a good wipe down so it wouldn't rust. Maybe he wouldn't find out. Shit, he hoped he wouldn't.  
\----------------------------------  
He nearly slipped and fell face first in the mud as he pushed the motorcycle to the side of Carol's garage where there was a door that lead to the inside of it. He was about ready to say 'fuck it' and leave the bike in the rain and go back inside to get warm. Maybe Carol would help him with that.

The image of Carol getting him 'warm' almost had him falling on his face again.

Carol sat cross-legged at the end of her bed, facing the door and waiting for Daryl to trudge back in. He was going to be soaked to the bone and she was going to tease him. The anticipation for it had her forgetting about the storm still raging outside, if only for a moment.

Just like she hoped, Daryl walked back to her room soaked and with a large scowl on his face. "If I knew Merle wouldn't make me stop ridin' his bike, I would have left the damn thing out in the rain. At least, I wouldn't be fuckin' soaked right now."

"Well," Carol smiled wickedly. "You're going to have to get out of those clothes before you get sick."

"I ain't got anything to wear. Ya threw my other clothes in the washer."

"Well, then." Carol picked at her fingernails, not looking at him at all, as a smirk played on her lips. "I guess you'll just have to come to bed naked."

"What?!" Part of him wanted to get the fuck out of there and the other part wanted to do just that.

"You heard me." She looked up at him, then, and winked.

She was teasing him! Of course, she was. It wouldn't be Carol, if she never found something to tease him about. Well, two could play that game.

"Alright." He agreed and crossed his arms across his torso and peeled the sopping shirt over his head. It fell to the ground with a 'plop'. He his hands went to the waistband of his sweats, but stopped before he pulled them down to look at her.

Her eyes were wide as they raked over his body. They stopped when they met his and he smirked.

"Well?" He asked. He stood up straighter and placed his hands on his hips. Waiting.

"Well, what?" The last part came out squeaky and Daryl had to bite back a laugh.

"Well, as I figure it, if I hafta get naked I thought it would only be fair if ya got naked too."

Carol scrambled off the bed, slight panic in her eyes. "You can't be serious!"

Daryl couldn't help but smirk. "I figure if ya got to see me naked, you would return the favor. Can ya fault a man for thinkin' that?"

"I was just teasing, Daryl." She started to look flustered and he took pity on her.

Pulling her close, he gave her a quick kiss. "So, was I." She huffed and pushed him away half-heartedly. "Uh, do ya have any more clothes for me or am I gonna have to sleep in soaked sweats?"

She slipped past him and once again headed to her father's room to steal more of his clothes. She came back seconds later, handed him a small pile of clothing and went straight back to her room.

Daryl walked to the bathroom and quickly shed the rest of his clothing, placed them in the bathtub and put on the warm, dry clothes.

Carol settled herself back in her bed, covers thrown over her legs and pillows propped against her back. Daryl should be done any minute now and she was looking forward to him joining her back in the bed.

"Carol?" Daryl asked, walking into the room hesitantly wearing another pair of her father's sweats and his chest was bare. "Did you get me a shirt?

"Nope." She smiled.

His eyes narrowed at her, but he still moved back to his side of the bed and crawled under the covers.

She shut the light off and instantly clung to his side. "Looks like I got you at least half-naked." She went to rest her head on his chest but pulled back once her cheek touched his skin. "You're freezing!"

"Well, yeah! I jus' got outta the fuckin' rain!" A shiver ran through his body.

"You need to get warm then. The last thing we need is for you to get sick." She began to run her hands vigorously over his arms, hoping to help him warm up.

Suddenly, she found herself on her back and Daryl rolled on top of her and buried his face in her neck, kissing it.

"I can think of a way ya can warm me up." He lifted his head and looked down at her, then crashed his lips to hers. He kissed her like he had in the kitchen, but this time with more confidence.

The kissed for several minutes, Carol's hands were in his hair and her nails were scrapping gently over her scalp. This caused him to shiver and not because he was cold.

"Daryl?" She gasped and separated their lips. "Are you getting warmer?"

He nodded and brought their lips back together, so focused was he on the way her lips felt and the way her tongue felt sliding against his, he hadn't noticed when one of her hands had left his hair and was now grabbing at the wrist of his hand on her hip.

She began sliding his hand upwards, under her shirt and-

"Carol?" He stopped everything and looked at her with surprise. "What-" His voice came out in a croak. "What are ya doin'?"

"Relax." She was nervous, but he still guided his hand until it cupped her bra-covered breast.

He bit back a groan at the feel of her in his hand. She let go of his wrist, threaded her hand back in his hair and pulled him in for another kiss.

God, he could kiss her all night and that is what he did.  
\-----------------------------

"My dad is going to be home in an hour." Carol whispered from her spot on his chest. Sunlight was streaming through the window and they had yet to get out of bed.

Neither one wanted to leave.

"I should probably go." Daryl sat up and stretched. "Don't want ya dad catchin' me here. I still want him to like me." He smirked and kissed her one last time before climbing out of bed.

Carol climbed out after him, wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the jaw. "At least let me make you breakfast. I have cereal."

"Naw, I should pass. Merle is probably wonderin' where the fuck I am." Jesus, he was not looking forward to the shit his older brother was going to give him. Guaranteed, the first question that would come out of his mouth would be asking if Daryl had gotten laid.

The answer to that would be a no. Not that he minded, it was clear that him and Carol were not ready for that yet.

"Well," Carol wrapped her arms around his neck. "I guess I'll see you later?"

"Yeah." Daryl smirked. "I have to come back and get my clothes."  
\--------------------------

An hour and a half later found Carol and her dad sitting at the kitchen table each with their own bowl of cereal. It had been quiet. Her father was clearly tired, his eyes barely focusing on the paper in front of him.

"Carol, honey. When I'm done with this, I'm heading straight to bed, but when I'll get up, we can talk about prom. Is that okay?"

She nodded with a smile. "Of course."

Just then the phone rang, Carol's dad startled at the sound and she as up answering it.

"Hello." She spoke into the receiver.

"Carol?"

"Daryl?" She asked. Why did he sound funny?

"Yeah, it's me. Is there something wrong?"

Daryl took a deep breath. "It's Merle. My pa, he, fuck! Merle's hurt bad, I had to take him to the hospital."

Her grip on the phone tightened. Damn that Buck Dixon! "Hold on, I'm going to be right there." She hung up and looked at her dad.

"Dad, can I borrow the car?"


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

The drive to the hospital wasn't a long one, even though it was located on the outskirts of town. It also helped that Carol sped the whole time she was on the road.

The hospital was small, since there town was small, but it seemed like everyone in the whole damn county had wound up there. Carol found the closest parking spot she could, which was near the back and ran inside.

The waiting room was almost full and she had to dodge through people and nurses to get to the reception desk. Once there, the nurse sitting down looked up and gave her a bright smile.

"Hi, how may I help you?" She asked with her hands folded in front of her on the desk.

Carol smiled back, even though she felt like crying. Merle was hurt and Daryl was upset. Why couldn't the Dixon's just catch a break?

"Um, yes." She spoke. "I'm here to see Merle Dixon."

The nurse's smile faltered. "Excuse me, who was the patient you wanted to see again? It's quite loud in here."

"Merle Dixon." Carol hissed through gritted teeth. The nurse had heard her just fine. It was the fact that she had wanted to visit a Dixon that had thrown her off.

"Oh? Are you his sister?" The woman grabbed a visitors tag from a pile and uncapped a marker. "I didn't know the Dixons had a sister. What's your name?"

"It's Carol and I'm not his sister." She clenched her fists. "I'm his friend."

"Ah, I see." She quickly wrote Carol's name on the bright orange tag. "I didn't know the Dixons had friends." She snorted a laugh. "He's in room 221B."

Carol grew angry and all she wanted to do was scream at the woman, but she had to see Merle. Had to be there for Daryl. She wasn't going to let some bitch get in her way.  
\-----------------------------------  
Carol let the elevator take her up the two stories, ignoring the stares of the people in the car with her. After she had walked past the reception desk, she had fished a pen out of her purse and wrote 'DIXON' in huge letters after her first name. She wanted to stick her tongue out of all them, but suppressed the urge. Someone had to act their age around here.

She was the first one out the elevator and followed the signs on the wall. She didn't have to look at the numbers on doors after all, because when she turned down a hallway she saw Daryl pacing outside of a room.

Approaching it and peering over his shoulder, she saw that it was indeed 221B, right next to 221A.

Daryl looked up when her shoes came to view and his gaze immediately went to the nametag on her chest. (He may have taken a peek at her chest, but he would never admit to it.)

"Don't ask." Carol said and pulled him into a hug, kissing just below his ear when she wrapped her arms around him.

He buried his head in her neck and for a moment, she thought she felt a slight dampness on his cheeks. She wouldn't say anything to him about it, though.

"How is he?" She asked, her words slightly muffled but she knew he had heard.

Straightening up, he looked down at her and his hands never left her waist. "He woke up 'bout twenty minutes ago. The doctor is in there now tellin' him what's wrong."

"Did they tell you?"

He nodded and his eyes skirted away from her. "He's got a few broken ribs, a fractured cheekbone and a concussion. They want to keep him overnight to make sure there ain't anythin' else wrong with him."

"The bastard!" Carol said so vehemently, Daryl looked at her with wide eyes. Her cool hand cupped his cheek and her thumb brushed softly against the bruise there. "I hate what he's done to you and what he's done to Merle." She was obviously talking about Pa Dixon.

Daryl's hands slid off her waist and he turned from her. "I shoulda stayed home last night. I should've warned him about pa. Instead, I was..."

Oh no. Oh no no no no. Tears sprang to her eyes. "Do you regret it?" If Daryl hadn't come over last night they wouldn't have kissed like they had, wouldn't have slept in the same bed with their bodies wrapped around each other and Carol wouldn't have cemented the fact that she was deeply in love with him.

He looked at her briefly, before his eyes went back to the floor. "Carol, I-" Just then the door opened and a man in a white coat stepped out. His eyes found Daryl and he went over to talk to the younger Dixon.

Carol stood there, tears now slipping down her cheeks. She knew that they were there for Merle, but they needed to finish this conversation. She wouldn't be able to bear it if he did regret it all. Especially after all they had gone through to get where they were now.

Slipping past the doctor and Daryl, she walked into Merle's hospital room. He sat up in the bed, an IV attached to his arm. His eyes were closed and Carol took a moment to run her eyes over his face.

The bruises from when Daryl had beat him up had just began to fade and now he had new ones to add to them. He must have heard her walk in because he opened his eyes, well eye, since his left was swollen shut.

"Hey, girlie." He smiled, which looked more like a grimace. He was clearly in a lot of pain. "Glad yer here. Now, ya can tell my baby brother to get my ass out of here."

"Sorry, Merle." She smiled. "I can't do that. You have to stay the night." Because your ass of a daddy beat the hell out of you.

"Fuck," he mumbled.

She grabbed his hand and squeezed. "I'll tell you what; if you behave then I'll give Maggie a call and have her visit you. I'm sure your date went well last night."

"It did." His eye got a far away look as he remembered the events of the previous night. "I was plannin' on givin' her a visit today, but then, ya know..."

Her smile faded. "I'm sorry."

He shrugged and winced when the motion jostled his broken ribs. "'s alright, Carol. My daddy is a mean sumbitch and las' night he jus' had a little too much to drink."

"Don't," she said firmly. "Don't you dare try to justify what that bastard did to you, Merle. That man could, and probably would have killed you."

"Fuck, I know that." He sighed. "I ain't gonna press charges, though. Sooner or later the piece of shit is gonna get his. 'Sides, I'm glad I was the one who got this beatin'." He ignored her gasp. "If it had been Daryl, I doubt my daddy would've stopped."  
\-------------------------------------------  
Daryl listened as the doctor told him things he already knew and walked into the room when he was done. Carol was perched on the end of the bed, talking and smiling with Merle. Her hair was obscuring her visitor's tag, so he could only read 'Carol'. Then she flipped her hair over her shoulder and he saw the 'DIXON' all in caps.

His heart clenched. Carol Dixon had a very nice ring to it.

Merle saw him standing in the doorway. "Ger yer ass in here and talk to me!"

Carol met his eyes and her smile faded. He winced, remembering their conversation only a few minutes prior. She thought he was regretting last night. Hell no, he didn't. He just knew that he should have waited at his house for Merle to come home, so he could have warned him.

"Shut up," Merle growled at him once he came to a stop beside the bed.

He frowned and looked at his older brother. "I haven't even fuckin' said anythin'!"

"Yer thinkin' too much." Merle shot back. "Jesus, boy, this ain't the first time I've been in a hospital bed and it probably won't be the last!" He grabbed his brother's arms just then and his eyes bore into Daryl's. "I'll tell ya one thing, though. This is the last time I'm gonna be here because of our daddy. Ya got that? If ever puts another hand on me or you, I'm gonna kill him."

Daryl nodded wordlessly. Fuck, if his daddy ever laid hands on either of them, he'd help Merle end him.  
\------------------------------------------  
It took all of five minutes before Merle finally asked, "So, baby brother, did ya get some last night?" He didn't seem to care that Carol was only a few feet from him.

She blushed and Daryl looked like he wanted to punch him.

"I may have been unconscious most of last night, but I know when my baby brother stays the night some place. So? His gaze bounced between Carol and Daryl, wondering which one would give him an answer.

"No, we didn't...sleep together." Carol finally answered as she played with the edge of Merle's thin white blanket.

"Well, shit! What did ya guys do. Play cards?" Merle crossed his arms, looking very annoyed at the two.

"Um," Carol stole a brief glance at Daryl, who wasn't looking at her. "We kissed...a lot."

The older Dixon's face spread into a huge grin. "About fuckin' time! Me and Milty have been workin' our asses off tryin' to get you two together!"

"You and Milton?" Carol asked in disbelief.

"I knew you two were up to somethin'." Daryl smirked.

"Ya know, for bein' a bit odd, that boy ain't bad to hang out with. I should visit him when I get outta here and ask if he put the moves on Andrea."

"I would like to know that too! They were pretty cozy at Prom." Carol smiled.

"I may have to tease the poor sucker." Merle said and Daryl chuckled.  
\-----------------------------------------------------  
Twenty minutes later, Carol walked back into the room. Daryl now sat in a chair by the head of Merle's bed, his feet propped up on the mattress.

"She says she'll be here in five minutes." Carol announced. She had just gotten off the phone with Maggie Greene.

"And when she gets here, ya'll have to leave." Merle said from his bed.

"'Course, Merle. Me and Carol have more important things to do than just sit in your hospital room and keep ya ass company." Daryl said from his chair, hands behind his head.

"Like make-out more?" Merle asked in all seriousness. He really wanted to know, which was kind of odd.

Daryl turned to Carol and winked. "Maybe."

Carol's heart fluttered, maybe things were going to be all right after all.

Five minutes later, they were kicked out the moment Maggie rushed through the door.

"I'm sorry," they heard her say the moment she reached Merle. "I would have been here earlier, but the bitch at the reception desk looked at me like I was crazy when I said I was your girlfriend and it took her forever to write my damn name on the tag."

Carol hid a smile behind her hand and followed Daryl out the door.

They passed the reception desk and the moment the nurse looked at her, she linked her arm through Daryl's and leaned her head on his shoulder. If she had been Daryl, then she would have flicked her off.  
\-----------------------------------------------------  
Daryl walked her to her car, enjoying the feel of her pressed against his side. He still couldn't believe that they were together now.

They reached her car and she turned around to face him with a smile. "So, I think Merle is going to be just fine. I'm glad."

"Me too." Then he remembered there earlier conversation. The one where she had asked if he had regretted spending time with her last night. He knew he had to set things right. "Uh, Carol." He started. "About earlier, I didn't regret it. Not at all."

Her smile widened and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I know." Then she kissed him.

As much as he liked kissing her, he had to pull back to catch his breath and that was when something on her arm caught his attention.

Bruises.

Fuck. No.

Reaching behind his head, he grabbed her wrists and brought them in front of him. Suddenly she looked very nervous and refused to look at him.

"What is it, Daryl?"

"Where did you get these?" He ran a gentle hand over the fingerprint bruises on her right arm. "Did I do them?" He knew he hadn't been rough last night, while he kissed her in bed, but maybe he really had grabbed her too hard.

"No, no, you didn't do that." She stepped back from him.

"Then who did?" He was getting angry.

She was still refusing to look at him. "Ed."


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Last night was probably one of the best nights Milton Mamet had ever had. Not only did he take a beautiful woman to the prom, but also he got to dance with her and at the end of the night, he had gotten the courage to kiss her.

At first, he thought she would push him away and tell him that she only saw him as a friend. After all, he was a geek and she was popular. Those types of people didn't mix often, if at all. But after he pecked at her lips once and stepped back, she had grabbed his face and crushed her lips to his.

He must have been somewhat good at it, because one kiss turned into two, then three and four... He had to figure they had stood outside of her house, kissing for twenty minutes. All thought of Daryl, Carol and Merle were thrown out of his mind those precious, too few he thought, moments his and Andrea's lips were connected.

Andrea pulled away too soon and gave him a bright smile. "I had a great time tonight, Milton. Thanks for being my date."

"N-No problem." He pushed up his glasses. "I had fun, too."

"I'm glad." She tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "Well, I should get inside. My parents are probably wondering where I am and I know my sister is going to want me to dish out all the details." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight."

Before she could walk away from him, he stopped her. "Um, Andrea?" He started, unsure. "Um, in the next town over they're playing a movie in the drive-in. If it's not too early to ask, would you like to go on a date with me?"

If possible, her smile grew wider. "Of course! I was hoping you would ask!"

Milton looked up at her in disbelief. "You were?" No girl ever wanted to go on a date with him, not that he had ever asked a girl. He was pretty sure they would have said no if he had.

"Yeah. I wouldn't have asked you to prom if I didn't like you." She placed a hand on his arm. "I think you're cute, Milton, and I really would like to get to know you better."

"Really?" He was still having a hard time believing all this, even though they had just been making out a few minutes before.

"Of course! Plus, I figure if you somehow became friends with Daryl and Merle Dixon there must be something special about you. Special in a good way of course. From what I've seen, the Dixons don't make friends that easily."

It still surprised him how easy it was for him to become friends with the younger Dixon and it still shocked him to no end that the older Dixon had taken one look at him and not given him a swirly or something equally embarrassing.

Daryl had seemed surprised at that too. He considered them all, Carol, Daryl and Merle his best friends. He had gone from having no friends to having three and two of them were Dixons. Now, it looked like he might be getting a girlfriend as well. That is if Andrea wanted to be his girlfriend.

But looking at her smiling face and watched as it got closer to his until their lips met again, he knew she would want to be his.  
\--------------------------------------  
The next afternoon found Milton knocking on the Dixon's door. Merle's motorcycle sat in the driveway, so he figured someone was home be it either Daryl or Merle. No one answered though and he figured they were either asleep or out hunting. He'd come back later.

He felt like a teenage girl, wanting to spill the details of his night with Merle, but he didn't really care. Merle would have enjoyed hearing about it and Milton also wanted to know about the older Dixon's date with Maggie Greene. He also wanted to know if anything new had happened between Daryl and Carol. He knew they had kissed before Carol had gone to prom, but was curious to know what happened afterwards. He had seen him waiting on Merle's bike in Carol's driveway after he had dropped her off.

All that was going to have to wait, though, since it looked like neither Dixon was going to answer. Maybe Daryl was at Carol's. Walking back to his car, he decided he would give her a visit.  
\-------------------------------------  
"I want to beat that bastard of a daddy you have, Merle, for putting you in this hospital bed." Maggie said from the chair, which she had dragged as close to the bed as she could get. Her voice was rough with tears, but her eyes glittered with anger.

"Can't let ya do that, darlin'." He drawled. "He's my pa and he's my responsibility."

"I know," she looked away from him. "But if no one takes care of him soon, then he might do this again. Do you know how scared I was when Carol called me and told me you were in the hospital?"

Merle was confused. Yeah, he liked Maggie. A lot. More than he wanted to admit sometimes considering he had only gone on one date with her and only kissed her once, but she obviously cared for him a lot too.

"Why do you care so much, girl?" He asked, wanting nothing more to grab her hand and pull her into bed with him. He kept his hands firmly at his sides.

She looked confused now. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, we barely know each other. A few weeks ago, I kept tryin' to get ya into bed with me and you looked none to happy about it neither." He wanted to punch himself for giving her reasons she shouldn't be with him, but he had already been punched enough these past couple days.

Maggie sat up straighter in her chair and looked out the window right by his bed. "I don't know why I seem to care about you so much. My daddy warned me about you, Beth nearly cried when I told her about you. When I first stepped in that bar and saw you in that fight and then you turned and winked at me... I just felt something."

"Ya remember that?" In fact, he didn't really remember much about that night either. Just that some drunk bastard had decided to pick a fight with him and on his way out the bar door he spotted the pretty brunette and winked. The next night he walked through the doors once again, saw her sitting there sipping on a beer and decided that was who he was going to take home for a little fun.

Of course, he hadn't taken her home and to his bed that night or any of the other nights following. The number of cold showers he had to take had increased much to his dislike.

"Yeah, I remember that." She smiled a little half smile. "It was the reason why I came back the next night. I was hoping that you would be there." She rolled her eyes. "Then you turned out to be a complete asshole who just wanted to get in my pants."

"Come on, girl." He protested. "Look at ya! Can you blame me?" He gestured to her with his hand to better make his point known.

"Beth's the pretty one in my family." She said with a touch of insecurity.

"I didn't notice." Merle said quickly. Okay, he did notice that the girl was pretty, but Maggie was beautiful.

Maggie began picking at the plastic covering on the chair's arms and continued like she hadn't heard him. "I'm surprised you hadn't tried chatting her up when she answered the door yesterday. Sometimes the mailman will talk to her for almost an hour."

Merle peered at his woman, yes she was his woman, and noticed the sad look in her eye. He couldn't believe that a girl like her was insecure about the way she looked.

"I mean, Beth has had tons of boyfriends and I've only had one, well if you could count him that." She looked up at him briefly and then looked away. "My freshman year, a boy named Glenn asked me out, I said yes. We didn't last a week." She sighed sadly. "Not that he was bad or anything, he was really sweet and stuff, it was just that things were kind of awkward between us and it just didn't feel right."

Merle was about to say something, but Maggie interrupted him and kept going.

"So, during the rest of my high school years I kept busy with my school work and the farm. No boys. My dad was happy about that one. Beth is making up for that now, with all these boys chasing after her."

"Can I talk now, woman?" He almost growled. He wasn't mad at her, wasn't sure if he could ever be mad at her, but he hated how she was so down on herself. What about that fiery confident woman he had met at the bar a few weeks ago?"

"Oh." She looked startled. "Oh, yeah. Of course. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize. I jus' wanted to set somethin' straight." He sat up more in his bed, only wincing slightly when his ribs twinged. "First of all, yer sister could be the prettiest thing in the world and I would have never 'chatted' her up. She's sixteen, for Christ's sake. I'm a grown ass man."

"That hasn't stopped other men from trying." Maggie mumbled, but he ignored her.

"Second of all, I came over to get ya. I wanted to take you out. I don't care if you had one boyfriend or hundreds of boyfriends in high school, Maggie. I thought ya was beautiful when I first saw ya and I still do." He lifted a hand and cupped her cheek, something so out of character from him, and made her look at him. "Now, I don't wanna hear none of this nonsense about ya not being pretty. Yer beautiful and once I get outta here, I'm gonna let everyone I meet know it!" He gave her a big smile and she blushed.

She stood up then, Merle's hand slid from her cheek and he watched her. She bent over him and placed a kiss on lips.

"I'm glad I was in the bar when you got your ass kicked, otherwise we might not have met." She leaned down for another kiss, but Merle stopped her.

"What do you mean when I got my ass kicked? I'm pretty sure I made that boy cry to his momma."

Maggie rolled her eyes and smiled. "Whatever you say, Merle. Whatever you say." Then she kissed him again.  
\---------------------------------------------  
Milton pulled into Carol's driveway and walked up to her door. After knocking a few times, the door opened and instead of Carol standing there and older man that looked slightly like Carol stood there.

"Um, hello." Milton said. "Is Carol home, by chance?"

"No," the man said. "She left about an hour ago. Her friend Daryl's older brother is in the hospital. Merle, I think his name is."

"Merle's in the hospital?" He asked shocked.

The man nodded. "Are you a friend of his?"

"Yes, I am. My name is Milton." He would have offered his hand, but he needed to go to the hospital to check up on his friend.

"Alright then. If you see Carol, tell her to let me know how Merle is doing when she gets home. I've never met the man, but if he's anything like his brother then I want to meet him."

Milton nodded. "I will and thanks. For letting me know."

"No problem, son." The man smiled. "It was nice meeting you. I'm glad that my Carol is making more friends."

Milton smiled back. "I'm glad to be her friend. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to the hospital. It was nice meeting you, as well." Then he turned and headed back to his car with a sick feeling in his gut.  
\-----------------------------------------  
Milton was lucky to find a close parking spot. He had thought he had seen Daryl's truck, which would have made sense since it was his brother in the hospital after all.

The lady at the reception desk was rude when he told her he was there to visit a Merle Dixon. She had rolled her eyes, wrote his name on the tag and muttered as she handed it to him. "That damn Dixon is sure popular today."

He didn't knock when he reached room 221B and was shocked to see Merle in his hospital bed and Maggie Greene curled into his side, asleep.

"Jesus, Milty." Merle looked over at him and said in a harsh whisper. "Can't ya see my woman is asleep?"

"Uh, s-sorry." He stuttered and approached the bed. "I just heard that you were here and I rushed right over. What happened?" He winced when he scanned his eyes over Merle's beat up face.

"My daddy is what happened." He growled.

"I'm so-." He began to apologize but the older Dixon cut him off with a hand.

"Don't apologize for that son of a bitch. I've heard enough 'I'm sorry's' today to last me a lifetime. The only person who's gonna be sorry is my daddy if I ever see his ass anytime soon."  
\----------------------------------  
"I'm gonna fuckin' kill him!" Daryl roared and turned from her to head to his truck. Carol grabbed his arm and tugged. Hard.

"Don't, Daryl!" She cried.

He turned on her fiercely, his face full of rage. "What do you mean 'don't'? Carol, that piece of shit hurt you. He put fuckin' bruises on yer arms! Ya can't tell me that's all right?"

Carol rubbed her arms and looked down. "It's not alright."

"Exactly!" he turned to leave again. He was going to find Mr. Ed Peletier and beat his ass so hard he wouldn't be able to walk.

"Daryl, wait!" This time Carol ran after him and planted herself in front of him. He had no choice but to stop, unless he wanted to barrel right into her.

"You can't beat him up."

"Why the hell not?" He growled. "I'm pretty sure I'll be doin' others a favor if I do."

She grabbed his forearm. "You can't, because if you do, then he'll call the cops. You'll go jail and I can't have you go there Daryl." She was near tears, he could tell.

"When did he tell ya this?"

"The other day, he came over and told me. He said he would forget about it if I..." She didn't want to tell him what he had wanted her to do. Daryl would go out of control, but it was already too late.

"What did he want you to do?" His eyes were narrowed as he searched her face.

"Never mind, Daryl, it's not important. Come on, let's get some lunch." She went to walk past him, but he gently grabbed her arm.

"Carol," he said, his voice was soft. "What did he want you to do?"

Carol looked down. "Sleep with him." She mumbled, hoping that he hadn't heard her. But when his grip tightened slightly on her arm, she knew he had.

"I'm gonna fuck-"

She grabbed his shirt. "Daryl! Please, if you're going to kick his ass at least wait until after graduation." She tried to smile at him. "I want you to at least graduate. You've worked so hard."

It was true, he had worked hard. Yeah, he didn't get the best of grades but he wasn't stupid and he was going to get his Goddamn diploma. He would be the only Dixon to get one.

"Fine." He growled defeated. He would wait until after graduation, but Ed better fuckin' hope he didn't see him before then.

"Good." Her smile grew wider and she tugged at his hand. "Come on. I'm going to drop off the car at my house and then you can take me out to lunch. I'm starving."


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Daryl was pissed. He wanted to kill something. No, not something, but someone. Fuckin' Ed Peletier. How dare he put his hands on Carol? How dare he think that Carol would actually sleep with him?

The guy was a cocky bastard and needed to be knocked off his pedestal. Physically. But he promised Carol he wouldn't do anything to him until after graduation. It was going to be hard to see the fucker in the school hallways and not be able to smash his face in, but he'd resist the urge to kick his ass. He'd resist for Carol.

He'd do anything for her.

"Daryl?"

Except listen to her when she was talking. He had spent the last five minutes thinking about all the ways he could kill Ed and hadn't listened to one word his girlfriend said. Yes, she was his girlfriend. It was weird to think the word when it came to Carol. He didn't know how he would ever be able to tell others that, yes, Carol was his girlfriend.

"Daryl?" She tried again and this time she bumped his shoulder with hers.

"Yeah?" He finally turned back to her and couldn't help the smile that came to his face when he saw that she had a small smudge of ice cream on her nose from the ice cream cone she had been working on for the past ten minutes.

They had gone to the diner to eat lunch, since there were no other restaurants in town and Carol had been too hungry to drive out of town. He had paid for everything and they talked as they ate. They had done that many times in the past, but this time he was considering it a date. They were together now, after all.

Now, they were sitting in the bed of his truck, legs hanging over the edge and sitting with their shoulders brushing against each other in the parking lot of the diner. An ice cream van had driven by and Carol insisted on chasing it down so they could get some ice cream. He had finished his quickly, but she was still licking away at hers. "I'm savoring it, Daryl." She had said when he asked.

He wondered what would happen if he leaned forward and kissed the smudge of vanilla ice cream off her nose. The thought caused his cheeks to heat up. Sure, last night he had his hands up her shirt, but that seemed to be a little more intimate. Especially since, they were in a public place.

"Daryl, we should take a walk." She was wiping her hands with a napkin, now that she had finally finished her cone.

A walk sounded nice, even more so when it was going to be with her. "Where?" He asked. There wasn't really anywhere to walk too, unless she just planned to walk around town. The thought made him a little uncomfortable. He wasn't well liked and the stares he was sure to get, because he always got him, didn't sound appealing.

Carol hopped down from the truck and stood in front of him, a wide smile on her face. "How about we walk to the park? You know the one down the street from the library."

He knew exactly where that was. Smiling, he hopped down from the truck as well, so close to her that their chests were touching. They were going to the same park where they had first 'hung out' at those couple of years ago.

Before they left though, he licked his thumb and wiped away the ice cream on her nose.  
\-------------------------------  
Carol's steps seem to quicken when the old playground came into view. She looked over her shoulder at Daryl and smiled. Grabbing his hand, she tugged him along.

Daryl rolled his eyes and followed obediently and with a smile of his own. The park held good memories for the both of them. Not only was thiswhere they first hung out, but they had visited it several times over the years. Sometimes they would stay until it grew dark and lay on their backs on the picnic table to look up at the stars.

Suddenly she let go of his hands and was running towards the playground. "Push me on the swings, Daryl!" She yelled back at him.

"Can't ya swing yourself, woman?" He teased as he approached her. She had already chosen a swing to sit in and now was waiting patiently for him.

"You know I don't get that high if you don't push me." She pouted, her lower lip sticking out and her blue eyes opened wide.

Once again, Daryl rolled his eyes. This girl was going to be the death of him, because he knew there wasn't anything she wanted that he wouldn't give her.

That was love.

Instead of grabbing the chains and pushing her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her neck, kissing it.

"Hey!" She giggled. "You're supposed to be pushing me!"

"I like this better," he mumbled. "And I think you do, too." He nipped gently at the skin between her shoulder and neck and smirked when she shuddered.

"Nope, I think I'd rather-" another soft nip and she paused for a moment. "I think I'd rather have you push me."

"Hmm," he stepped back and released her. "Suit yourself, then." Wrapping his hands around the chains, he began to push her.

"Do you remember when we use to have contest to see how far we could jump off these swings?" She asked, every other word almost drowned out as he continued to push her away.

Satisfied with her, he walked to the swing next to her and sat down. He didn't swing himself and instead just watched.

"Yeah, I remember." He smirked. "I remember when ya sprained your wrist because ya wanted to beat me so bad."

She turned her head and faced him, her hair flew into her face every time she made her descent. "Hey," she said. "I did beat you, though."

"Yeah," he snorted, kicking at the rocks underneath his shoes. "Then I had to practically carry your sobbin' ass back home because you were convinced ya had broken it."

Carol's feet skidded on the rocks as she attempted to slow herself down and then come to a complete stop. "It hurt really badly and it was swelling!" She argued.

"I could have told ya it wasn't broken. I've had my fair share of broken bones." He didn't look at her and focused his attention on the ground. He still felt her eyes on him, though. "Not all of them were cuz of my daddy. I liked to climb trees when I was little and apparently I liked to fall outta them as well."

She laughed softly. "I've never seen you climb a tree before."

"I was sick of fallin' outta them, that's why."

She hopped off her swing, grabbed his hand and yanked him up. "Come on, let's go climb one now." She was acting like a little kid, but he didn't mind. He liked seeing this side of her, but there was no way in hell his ass was going to climb a tree. Nope. Never.

He dug his feet in the rocks and refused to budge. No amount of pulling from her was going to make him move. He could be just as stubborn as her when he wanted to be.

"Come on, Daryl." She pouted, but this time he wasn't going to fall for it.

"Nope." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I jus' pushed your ass on this swing. Now, it's my turn to choose what we do."

Carol mimicked him and put her own arms across her chest. "And what do you want to do, Mr. Dixon?"

With a smirk, he took a few seconds to look like he was actually thinking about it, then took a giant step towards her, cupped her cheeks in his rough hands and kissed her.

She smiled against his lips. "I think I like this better than climbing a tree."

"Fuck yeah." He agreed and then claimed her lips once again.  
\-----------------------------  
"So, yer tellin' me that Daryl and I weren't the only ones to get our women las' night?" Merle asked from his hospital bed. Maggie was still snuggled into his side, but awake and Milton sat in the chair next to the bed.

Milton nodded and smiled. "I guess you could say that."

"Well, I'm proud of ya! I'm proud of my baby brother too, but I ain't gonna tell him that. Him and Carol have been dancin' 'round each other for years and now they finally did somethin' about it. You on the other hand, it took ya only one night to get the lady." He reached over and slapped his friend on the shoulder. "Looks like ol' Merle taught ya somethin', after all."

"I suppose." He adjusted his glasses when they slipped down his nose, but there was still a hint of a smile on his face.

"So, did ya jus' kiss her? I know Daryl spent the night at Carol's and-"

"Wait, what?" Milton asked, surprised. "He spent the night at her house?" Weren't they moving a little too fast?

"Relax, Milty." Merle chuckled. "They didn't bump uglies if that's what's worrin' ya. This is my brother we're talkin' about."

Milton seemed to relax in his chair.

"If ya was old enough, I would take ya out for a celebratory drink. Not only did we finally get those two together, but ya got yerself a pretty ass woman." He tightened his grip on Maggie, who had remained silent during their whole exchange. She seemed to enjoy watching Merle and Miton talk. "Course she ain't as pretty as my Maggie here."

Maggie laughed softly into his side with her cheeks tinted pink.

Looking down at his watch, Milton stood up. "Well, I should be leaving. I have to get ready for my date with Andrea."

"Oh?" Merle spoke. "What are ya guys gonna do?"

"I'm going to take her out to dinner and then we're going to see a movie in the next town over."

"In that case, I got somethin' for ya in my wallet." He smirked. Maggie sat up and looked at him with surprise.

"Merle-" She started, but he winked at her and she stopped.

"I ain't got any money in there, so it should be easy to find." He instructed, still smirking.

Milton walked over to the little table where Merle's wallet and motorcycle keys laid. He picked up the wallet, opened it and pulled out a small foil package. Milton stared at the package and narrowed his eyes at the redneck in the hospital bed. Merle and Maggie took one look at his face and started laughing.

"Aww, fuck! That hurts." Merle complained about his ribs, but kept laughing with Maggie.

Milton threw the condom on the table, clearly unamused. Now, he was starting to know what Daryl had to go through on a daily basis.

"Not funny, Merle." He grumbled and then he left the couple, still laughing, and headed for his car. He had a date to prepare for.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

"Hell no."

"Come on, Daryl." Carol pulled on his arm. "Please. For me?" She batted her large blue eyes at him.

"Nope."

"Why not?" She pouted.

"I told ya before, woman. No Dixon has ever and will never set foot in the fuckin' library. 'Sides, the old biddies in there will probably take one look at me and kick my ass out." Daryl remained rooted in his spot, in front of the stone steps that led into the building.

"You wouldn't go in, even if your girlfriend really wanted you to?" She stood in front of him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Nope." He could be stubborn as hell if he wanted to be.

"Hmph." Carol turned from and angrily crossed her arms. "I wish I could trade boyfriends with Andrea. Milton would definitely want to go in with me." She peeked over her shoulder at him. "He'd probably never deny his girlfriend anything."

"You're right, cuz Milton probably couldn't say no to his woman even if he wanted to. Sometimes, he seems to be afraid of his own shadow." He was still having a hard time comprehending the fact that Milton and his older brother were friends. Merle was the kind of person that even the toughest motherfucker should be afraid of.

Merle could kick anyone's ass, well anyone's except his father's. The thought of Buck Dixon caused Daryl to clench his fist in anger.

"Daryl." A cool hand wrapped around one of his fists. "Is everything okay?" Carol was looking at him, now, with concern.

"'m fine. Jus' thinkin' about Merle and my daddy." No, not daddy anymore. Just Buck. That man was no longer considered his family. The only thing they shared now was their last names.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.

He shook his head. He wouldn't dampen their 'date' with talks about Buck.

"I know something that could get your mind off of them for now." She smiled.

"What?"

She grabbed his arm with her other hand and began to tug him in the direction of the stone steps. God dammit, she was determined.

He pulled his arm easily out of her grasp and met her glare with one of his own. Suddenly, the glare melted from her features and she got a gleam in her eye he couldn't identify.

"Fine, I guess I'll just go in by myself. Too bad there isn't going to many people in there at this time of day to talk to." She looked up at him. "That means a lot of the shelves will be empty and no one will be able to see me while I look for a book."

He narrowed his eyes at her. What was she getting at? Why was it a problem if no one could see her while she was looking for- Oh.

Fuck.

Carol definitely knew how to work him.

"Fine." He grumbled. "I'll go in the damn library with ya." He let her grab his hand and lead him into the building. Of course, he had to resist a little. He still had his pride and reputation to think of, after all.

God, he was so nervous! He had never gone on a date before. What if something went completely wrong and Andrea never wanted to see him again? That would be horrible.

Checking himself in the mirror one last time, he nearly jumped out of his skin when his mother walked into his room without knocking.

"Aw, honey, you look nice. Are you going on a date or something?" She walked up behind him, placed her hands on his shoulders and stared at their reflections in his dresser mirror.

"As a matter of fact, mom." He turned and faced her. "I am going on a date tonight."

His mother's face fell. "Please, don't tell me it's with that Dixon boy. Look, honey, you're young. You don't know-"

"Mom!" He interrupted. "I am not gay and Merle is just a friend. I'm going out with Andrea Hovarth, Dale Hovarth's granddaughter. She was one of the girls I went to prom with."

"Oh!" Mrs. Mamet instantly brightened. "Well, that's wonderful! She's a nice girl." She elbowed her son in the ribs. "And she's pretty."

"I know she is." He smiled, thinking of his date. How was he so lucky to get a girl like her?

"So, where were you earlier today." His mother moved to his bed and took a seat. "You usually tell someone when you're leaving."

Milton winced, unsure if he should tell his mom where he had gone, but she was looking at him expectantly and he had no choice. "I was visiting Merle in-"

"Oh, honey." His mother stood up. "What did your father and I tell you about hanging out with that Dixon? He's nothing but-"

"He's in the hospital, mom."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Probably because he got into some kind of bar-"

"His father beat him up. Almost killed him." His jaw was set in anger. He was sick of having to defend Merle to people. Yes, Merle could be mean and yes, he had been known to get in a few fights but he wasn't a bad man at all.

His father on the other hand was a different story. People should cringe when they heard Buck's name, not when either one of his sons were mentioned.

"Oh, um." For once, his mom had nothing to say about that. He could tell that she was regretting the things she had said and he supposed he could forgive her for saying them.

"Well, I better go." He smoothed down the blue dress shirt he was wearing, making sure it was tucked properly into his jeans. "I don't want to be late."

"Oh, uh, yeah, right." His mother agreed, still looking regretful. Giving him a quick hug and a small smile, she said. "Have fun, okay?" She placed a hand on his cheek. "And I'm sorry for saying those things about Merle. He's your friend, I understand that, it's just going to take your father and me a little time to get use to it."

"It's all right, mom." He smiled back at her. "Now, I really have to go." It wouldn't be a good thing to be late to his first date.

"There's a lot of books in here." Daryl's voice seemed to echo in the silence and somewhere he heard a 'shh'.

Carol looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah. This is a library." She was leading him through the nonfiction section.

"Fuck, I know." He grumbled. "Still don't know why we're in here. Are ya even lookin' for a book to read or did you jus' bring me in here to prove a point?"

"And what point would that be, Dixon?"

"That ya can make me do whatever ya want."

"Well, it looks like I can, doesn't it?" She smirked and squeezed his hand. "We're heading towards the reference section, if you wanted to know. No one ever goes there."

"Lead the way, woman." He smiled and quickened his step.  
\--------------------------------------  
Milton pulled up in Andrea's driveway just in time. She had been waiting for him and when she saw his car, she walked out the door with a big smile and a wave.

She was wearing form-fitting jeans and a nice red top that complimented her slightly tanned skin very nicely.

"Hey, Milton." Kissing him on the cheek, she settled into her seat. "I'm looking forward to tonight. It's going to be fun."

"I hope so." He said, somewhat unsure.

"It will be." She placed a hand on his and squeezed. "I'm with you, aren't I?"

Milton smiled to himself as he backed out of the driveway. This woman was absolutely perfect.  
\---------------------------------------  
Daryl had Carol pressed against one of the walls, back in the reference section. Just like she had said, there had been no one around and he hadn't wasted anytime in crushing his lips to hers. Maybe the library wasn't so bad, after all.

"Sit." She panted and detached her mouth from his.

Sit? Where? He was being lead somewhere and pushed into a large cushioned armchair. He looked up at her in surprise. She seemed unsure for a second and bit at her lower lip.

He reached for her, she smiled, and the uncertainty was gone. Suddenly, he had a lap full of Carol and he did not mind at all.

Her knees were pressed against his hips and instantly his arms wrapped around her waist to pull her closer to his chest.

"Is this all right?" She asked against his lips.

He nodded. "Hell yeah it is. In fact, I think this your best idea of the day."

"Shut up."

"Make me." He smirked.

And she did. With her mouth.  
\----------------------------------------  
Milton drove them to a restaurant in the town they were going to view the movie. There was only so many time you could eat at the same diner. Their little town needed to expand a little...or a lot.

The meal was good and they enjoyed a dessert of ice cream. Chocolate for him and strawberry for her. Then soon, they were on there way to the drive-in. Milton's hands grew sweaty on the steering wheel as they drove closer and closer to their destination.

What was going to happen while they watched the movie? Would she cuddle with him in the front seat or would he drag him into the back seat and make-out with him the whole time?

Either idea sounded appealing to him.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Andrea suddenly asked from the passenger seat and he almost drove off the road.

Oh Lord, how was he going to answer that? He had just been thinking about sticking his tongue in her mouth and shuddered at how vulgar it sounded. Damn, Merle. This was his fault!

"Oh, uh...nothing." He finally answered and gave her a weak smile.

Andrea looked at him curiously and then her look softened. "You're not nervous, are you? You were doing great at the restaurant."

"Um, n-no. I'm not nervous." His stutter gave him away though and he cursed.

She put her hand on his, just like she had earlier, in reassurance. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

Instantly, he felt better. By the way, they did both. During the previews, they made out in the back, something he was still surprised that he was doing and during the movie, Andrea cuddled close to his side.

Best. Date. Ever.  
\---------------------------------------------  
Daryl and Carol had sat in that chair together for fifteen minutes, but when they heard someone walking towards them, Carol hopped off his lap. She figured it was time that she find what she was looking for and leave. Especially if she wanted to kiss Daryl again.

Which she wanted to do. Over and over again. She couldn't get enough of him and with a blush, as he placed a hand on her hip as they walked through the shelves together, she knew that Daryl couldn't get enough of her either.

The thought also caused another one enter her mind. A bad one, one that terrified her. What if Daryl got sick of her? What if he found out that he didn't really care for her and broke things off? She wouldn't be able to take it.

She loved Daryl, had loved him for a while now.

"Hey," Daryl stopped her. "What's wrong?"

She must have shown her distress on her face. Quickly, she concealed it and smiled. "Nothing. Now, I'm looking for a poetry book. So, put those eagle eyes to good use!"

Ten minutes later, they walked out of the library just as the sun was setting and Carol had a book of poems under her arm.

Smirking, she thought of making Daryl listen to her as she read one to him. He would definitely love that.  
\--------------------------------

If he had thought the kisses Andrea gave him in his car were the best he'd ever received, then he was wrong. Her goodbye kiss was the best. By far.

"So, we're girlfriend and boyfriend, now. Right?" She asked, after she kissed him.

He nodded. "Well, if you want to be."

"Yes!" She cried with a large smile on her face. "Sorry." She apologized for her outburst. "It's just, I've never had such a nice guy like you want to be my boyfriend before."

"And I've never had a girlfriend, so this will all be new to us." He smiled back at her.

She kissed him again. "I'm looking forward to it."  
\----------------------------------------

It was late and she knew that she should head home, but lying beside Daryl on the picnic table felt too good to leave from.

"Ya know," he said and moved one of his arms from behind his head, placed it on the table so he could lean on it, and look down at her. "We've seen the stars tons of times."

"Yeah, so?" She liked the stars.

"Let's do somethin' different. Somethin' besides watchin' them."

She leaned up a little on her elbows until their faces were inches apart. "Like what?" When she saw his eyes drift to her lips, she rolled her eyes. "Is that all you ever think about?"

"Pretty much." He admitted with a smile. "Hell, for months now that's all I've been thinkin' about. Kissin' you."

"Really?" She was shocked. Months?

He nodded, somewhat nervously and didn't make eye contact with her. "I've had feelin's for ya, for a long time."

She could tell it was hard for him to admit that. "Me too." She said back.

He looked shocked. "So, are we basically tellin' sayin' that we love each other?"

"Do you think that we're too young to fall in love?" She was only asking the question she was sure another adult would probably ask them eventually.

"Naw, do you?"

She smiled. "Hell no."


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

"Visiting hours are almost over, ma'am." A nurse stuck her head into room 221B and spoke to the couple cuddled together on the hospital bed, watching TV.

The girl, Maggie said her nametag, lifted her head off the man's chest and gave her a small smile. "Thanks." She said and smoothed down her slightly disheveled hair.

The man grabbed her by the wrist. "Do ya have to go?" And the nurse knew, then, that she should leave the room. She couldn't help but feel like she had walked in on a private moment between the couple.

It was clear that they cared for each other.  
\---------------------------------------------  
Maggie carefully climbed over Merle, mindful of his bandaged ribs. "I have to go Merle. My daddy won't be too happy with me if I stayed the night, as much as I really want too."

"Why won't he be happy? I'm in a fuckin' hospital bed. Ain't like we'll be doin' anythin'." He pouted. It was true he had spent the whole day with her glued to his side, but he wanted her there for the night too.

"I know. But if you knew my daddy, you would know how much he worries about me and my sister." She rolled her eyes. "It can get really annoying, sometimes. I mean, I'm twenty-two years old! I'm old enough to do what I want and not get in trouble for it."

"Does he know about ya spendin' time with a Dixon?" Merle smirked. "I'm sure that makes him real happy."

"He knows I'm dating one and I have ignored everything he's said about it." She crossed her arms over his chest. "And if he doesn't like it then I'll just tell him that I caught Beth and his new farm hand, Jimmy, making out in the barn. That would get his attention off me real fast. Bethie is his angel." At a look from Merle, she added. "She's his youngest, that's why. I was his angel once upon a time."

"Well, I'm glad you ain't his angel anymore. I hate sharin'."

Maggie blushed and leaned down to give him one last kiss. "Well, I better go before they kick me out." Reaching at his side, she squeezed his hand. "But once you're all settled back at your house, I'll come and take care of you."

"No." Merle shook his head, which caused a headache to start. Damn concussion! "I don't want ya anywhere near my house in case my pa decides to show his ugly face."

Maggie just smiled and patted his cheek gently. "I'll bring my daddy's shotgun."  
\---------------------------------------------------  
"I think we should head back." Carol lifted her head off Daryl's chest. They had been dozing on the picnic table for what felt like hours. Her dad was probably wondering where she was, since she hadn't been home all day.

Daryl's only response was to pull her closer.

"I'm serious." She pushed gently against his chest. "I didn't even go inside when I dropped off the car earlier."

"That's your problem." He grumbled. "Now, quiet. I'm tryin' to sleep."

"Really?" She snorted. "You're going to sleep on a table. How civilized."

"Hey, it's damn comfortable." Once again, he pulled her close. "Especially if ya stay right here."

"Well, too bad, I'm not." She pulled completely away from him, ignored his grunt of protest and stood up on the ground. "I would really like to sleep in my bed. It has pillows and everything."

"Your loss."

"Whatever you say." She smirked. "Now. Are you going to walk a girl to your truck and take me home or are you just going to have me walk home by myself?"

"Ya got two legs." Was his reply.

"Fine." She 'harrumphed'. "I'll just walk in the dark. Hopefully, there's no creepers out there who want to hurt me." She started walking away.

"Don't go down any dark alleys!" Daryl called after her, still not moving from his spot on the picnic table. It was clear he wasn't going to move.

"Daryl Dixon!" She whirled around and stomped her foot. "You come here and walk your girlfriend home, right now."

Daryl sat up and there was enough moonlight for her to see that he was smirking. The ass. "And what do I get out of walkin' ya home?"

"I'll let you kiss me goodnight." She answered.

"Hmm, tempting." He hopped off the table and walked up to her, smirk still in place. "I guess I ain't got anythin' better to do so, I'll walk ya ass to my truck and then I'll drive ya home."

Carol rose to her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good." Then she grabbed his hand and together they walked back to his truck.  
\---------------------------------------------  
He pulled into her driveway and noticed how dark her house looked. "I take it your dad's asleep."

"Probably." She looked out the windshield and at her house. "I can sneak you in, if you want to stay over again. Or you can crash on my couch. My dad would understand."

"Naw," he said. "I better head home. The old man ain't gonna be anywhere near the place this time of night and my door locks."

Carol scooted over until she was pressed against his side. "Are you sure? I wouldn't mind having you in my bed again." She blushed furiously after saying that.

"Temptin'." He said, again. It was very tempting to share a bed with her again, but even if she locked the door there was still a risk of her father finding out they were sleeping together and he really didn't want to deal with that.

"All right." She sighed. It wasn't that she was mad at him; she was just worried about him going home and chance running into his dad. "Goodnight, then." She moved to open the door and step out, but he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back.

His face went to her neck and nipped at her collarbone. "What about my kiss, woman? We had a deal, didn't we?"  
\------------------------------------------------------  
The next morning, Carol found that she had slept in. Usually, her and her father would go to church in the morning, but it was clear that he had let her sleep instead. He must have noticed the late hour that she had come home.

She was glad that she had a dad that wasn't strict on curfews and allowed her to sleep in when she needed it. She would trade that all in, though, in exchange for him being home more. She missed him.

Walking into the kitchen, she found that her dad was already there, an empty bowl in front of him and a newspaper in his hand.

"Good morning, Dad." She smiled at him and made her way to the fridge.

"Morning, honey." He folded the paper and set it in front of him. "I thought I'd let you sleep in. You got in a little later than usual last night."

"Oh, about that." She took the seat across from him, a glass of orange juice in her hand. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's quite all right." He said, with a smile. "I knew you were with Daryl and you had a friend in the hospital. How is he, by the way? A boy named Milton came by yesterday looking for you and when I told him about Merle, he rushed over there."

Milton had gone to the hospital? He must have arrived after Daryl and her had left. She wondered if Merle had let him in the room while he was with Maggie.

"Oh, Merle is doing fine. He just had to stay overnight for observation. He had a concussion and some broken ribs." She took a sip of her juice.

Her dad grimaced. "Buck Dixon did that to his boy, didn't he?"

"Yeah." She nodded her head glumly.

"God, I knew that man was bad news." Her dad ran a hand through his hair. "I know how that man drinks and he isn't a happy drunk either. I've wanted those boys to get out of there, but I didn't know how to bring it up to Daryl."

"I've offered to have him stay here some nights." She admitted. "When things were getting bad at his house, I told him he could stay here but he always refused." Except for the other night. He hadn't refused then.

"Those Dixons are stubborn men."

"Yeah, they are." Carol agreed. She knew first hand how stubborn they could be.

"So, how was your date with the youngest Dixon boy last night?" He was smirking at her now.

"Um." She blushed. "It was fun."

"I knew you two would finally go on a date." He picked up his bowl and stood up to drop it off in the sink. "I knew that boy was in love with you and you felt the same."

Carol blushed again. Even though her father was rarely home, it was clear he was very observant.

"I couldn't pick a better man for you, Carol." He took his seat back, his face serious. "Really. I know that the Dixons aren't thought highly of around here, but I never once thought that Daryl or his brother were bad men and Daryl obviously cares for you and treats you right. That's all I can ask of my daughter's boyfriend."

Carol didn't know if she should laugh or cry at what her dad was saying. So, she did both and launched herself at him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she mumbled in her shoulder. "I knew there was a reason why I loved you so much."

"Hey," He pulled back from her embrace, eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled. "I did help make you, you know."

"Ew, gross!" She exclaimed and jumped away from him. "I didn't want to know that!"

"Well, it's true!" He chuckled.

This was why she missed her dad so much. They always had so much fun when they did spend time together. Lately, though, he worked so much and was always spending time with his new girlfriend.

Just then the phone rang and he got up to answer it. "Hello?" He said.

Carol stood there as the person on the other line talked and she could tell it was someone that her dad liked, because he had a goofy smile on his face. Was it the mysterious girlfriend?

"Let me check my schedule, dear, and then I'll get right back to you." He hung up and looked at her. The smile was still on his face.

"Girlfriend?" Carol asked and couldn't help but let a small amount of disappointment seep into her tone. Usually when a girlfriend called, that meant her dad was going to be going out.

"Yeah." He frowned when he said it, though. He had caught on his daughter's disappointment. "She wanted to know if I wanted to go out tonight."

"You know," Carol started as she traced a pattern in the table's wooden surface. "I haven't met her yet. In fact, I haven't met any of your girlfriends." She didn't mean to sound so accusing, but that was how it came out.

She heard him sigh and then took the seat across from her. "Look, Carol honey, I'm really sorry about that. It's just that I've had so many since your mom left and none of those relationships ever worked out. I didn't want to keep introducing you to strange women and then a few months later you would never see them again."

She thought for a moment. "I understand." The thought of meeting random women and then never seeing them again would have been horrible. There was something about this girlfriend, though. He seemed happier.

"I'm glad you do." He smiled in relief.

"What's this one's name?" She asked.

"Sharon." He answered.

"You really like her, don't you?" When he nodded, she continued. "Maybe, instead of going out, she can come here? I could make you guys dinner and I would love to meet her."

He thought for a moment and then his smiled widened. "That sounds like a wonderful idea!"

"Good." She stood up and returned his smile. "I can tell this one is a keeper. You'd looked so happy when you were talking to her."

"You know what, Carol? I-I think you're right." He stood up and headed to the phone. "I think you'll love her. I really do."

"I think I will, too, dad."  
\-------------------------------------------------  
Daryl picked up Merle from the hospital as early as possible. He knew his brother didn't want to spend one minute more in the hospital. He had winced when the doctor forced him to sit in a wheelchair and be pushed out the hospital entrance.

"I ain't no cripple." He had muttered and luckily that was it. The last thing either one of them needed was for him to punch someone in the face.

With a little difficult, he helped Merle into the passenger seat of his truck and they drove home together in silence. Which was odd, since it was Merle.

"Who the fuck is that?" Was the first thing out of his mouth when they parked in the driveway, right next to a small red car.

"Oh." Daryl said opening the door. "That's Maggie's car."

"The hell?" Merle growled, getting out of the car on his own, only wincing slightly at the pain it caused. "I told her not to come here." He turned on Daryl. "And ya let her stay here by herself?! What if the old fuck came back and saw her here?"

Merle was getting loud. It was clear he was frightened for his girl and it looked like he was about to murder Daryl for leaving her alone.

"Relax, Merle." Daryl lifted his hands in a placating manner. "She came here with a nasty lookin' gun strapped to her back. Kinda wish the old man had come back. She would have blasted his ass into the next life!"

"The bastard definitely would have deserved it." Merle added.

"Merle!" A woman's voice cried and soon Maggie was standing in front of him with a big smile on her face and an even bigger gun strapped to her back. "I'm glad you're home. Now, come inside and lie down. You need to rest some more." She took him by the hand and began to lead him towards the door.

Merle couldn't keep his eyes off the gun. She had been serious when she had told him about bringing her daddy's gone. If he wasn't in love before, he definitely was now.

Maggie looked over her shoulder and saw where his attention was at. "Told you, I would bring my daddy's shotgun. I dare your daddy to come home now!"

 _Jesus, I fuckin' love you, Maggie Greene._  
\--------------------------------------------------

The admittance to loving her, even in his own mind, startled him. He had never admitted to loving anyone in his whole life. True, he loved his brother and he had loved his momma, but other than that no one else had his love. Until now.

This girl hadn't been in his life long, but already he had strong feelings for her. Was this really the end of the world? Merle Dixon had finally fallen in love with a woman.

"So, which one is your room?" She asked, stopping them in the middle of their living room, ignoring the beer bottles that littered the floor.

Panic coursed through him. She wanted to see his room? Dear Lord, when was the last time he had cleaned it? Fuck, had he ever cleaned it?

"Oh, it must be that one." She pointed to the second door in the hallway. "Daryl came out of that one this morning." She grabbed his hand and started walking.

Well, so much for being in love. She was going to take one look(or whiff) of his room and run screaming or she would die from the toxic fumes.

Suddenly, Daryl was there, throwing himself against Merle's door and blocked their way. He looked briefly at Merle, but his eyes settled on Maggie.

"You do not want to go in there. Our daddy must have crashed there last night cuz it smells pretty rank in there."

Maggie wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Well, that's gross. Is there any other place he can go to lay down?"

"Yeah," Daryl said and stepped away from the door. "He can stay in my room."

"Ya thinkin' about stayin' at Carol's from now on?" Merle winked and Daryl gave him a look that read that he could make his big brother sleep in his own room if he didn't shut the fuck up.

Merle decided to shut his mouth and let himself get led into Daryl's clean room. For once, he was thankful that Daryl liked to keep his shit clean. He spotted Neil on the night table and smirked. Of course, it would be there.

He let Maggie push him gently on the bed, only briefly thinking about pulling her with him and then flipping on top of her. He was to hurt to have sex, though. Fuck. But, though it was so out of character to admit this, he wanted to take his time with Maggie.

Shit, what was this girl doing to him?

"Merle," said the girl in question. "Are you hungry? Daryl said there's stuff for a sandwich in the kitchen. I can make you one, if you want." She pulled the covers up to his chest and looked him in the eye.

"Fuck yeah, I'm hungry. Sandwich sounds good." He moved to place his arms behind his head, but winced when he pulled at his ribs.

"Okay, I'll go and do that now." Before she walked away, he grabbed her wrist and she stopped.

"Thank ya, Maggie." He said sincerely. He didn't think he'd ever said 'thank you' to anyone in his life.

"No problem." She leaned down and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Then, with the gun still strapped to her back, she made her way to the kitchen.

He could get use to this. Having Maggie in his house, taking care of him, carrying a gun around and threatening to shoot his pa if took one step into the house.

Yep, he smiled and closed his eyes. He could definitely get use to this.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Sharon had been a nice woman and nothing at all what Carol expected of her father's girlfriend. She expected a tall, blonde woman with perfect hair and a snobbish attitude. Her father was a handsome man and looked quite smart in his suit and tie.

When Carol opened the door she looked up expected a stiletto wearing hottie, but was surprised to see a woman around her height smiling at her. The woman before her had brown hair, instead of blonde and in place of what she thought would be a haughty look, Carol was greeted with a bright smile and a hug.

"You must be Carol." Sharon gushed, holding her by the shoulders, as she looked her over. "Marcus has told me so much about you!"

Carol smiled and thought about saying that her father hadn't said much about her, but she didn't want to hurt the woman's feelings. She already could tell that she was going to like her.

"Hey, Shar," said her father entered the room and embraced his girlfriend and gave her a quick kiss. Carol thought it was weird to see her dad kiss another woman that wasn't her mom, but knew she had better get use to it. In fact, she was already use to it.

Plus, her mom didn't deserve him anyway. She was surprised at how bitter she sounded in her head. Her mother hadn't crossed her mind much in the last few years and she was grateful.

Cassandra Spencer had decided, eight years ago, that she no longer wanted to have a husband or a daughter. She had just packed up her bags and left. A few months later papers came in the mail addressed to her father. Divorce papers.

They hadn't heard from her since and for that Carol was even more grateful. She didn't want to be in contact with someone that obviously didn't care about her.

"Carol, honey, is everything all right?" Her father tapped her gently on the shoulder and his face looked concerned. One arm was wrapped around Sharon and she looked concerned too.

"I'm fine, dad." She smiled. "I was just in my own little world for a bit."

Marcus smiled at his daughter. "Daryl?"

Carol blushed at his name and jumped at the excuse. "Yeah. Sorry, I was just wondering what he was doing. He was supposed to get Merle out of the hospital today."

"Oh, yeah, that's right." Her dad stood up straighter. "Maybe after supper you can take my car and go visit him."

Carol shook her head. "No, that's all right." She smiled at Sharon. "I want to get to know Sharon more and I can see Daryl at school tomorrow."

"Aw, that's sweet. I would love to get to know you more, too!" Sharon smiled. "Is this Daryl your boyfriend?"

Carol nodded.

"I would like to meet him sometime." She looked over at Marcus. "I'm sure he's a nice boy. Right, Marc?"

"I wouldn't be all right with him dating my daughter, if he wasn't."

Carol blushed again. "Well, I should probably get started on dinner. I'm sure you two are hungry." She made her way to the kitchen.

"Carol." Sharon called after her. "Would you like me to help? I'm not the best cook, but I can pass you things when you needed them."

"No, thanks! You two just sit in the living room and relax." She smiled at her. "But maybe you can help me set the table when it's time?"

"Sure!"

Turning back to the kitchen, Carol knew that she was really going to like Sharon.  
\----------------------------------------  
The Parmesan chicken had been delicious, or at least that was what her dad and Sharon had told her anyways. She had never made the dish before, but she knew that her dad loved Italian food so she decided to give it a try.

She took a bite and found that it was actually pretty good. Maybe she would make this for Daryl some time. He would probably like it. He liked everything that she cooked. The thought made her smile and gave her images of them sharing meals in her kitchen. Then for dessert, he would pull her into his lap and together they would eat ice cream out of the same bowl and from the same spoon.

"Daryl, again?" Her father chuckled.

This time she blushed even more furiously. She had been thinking of Daryl for real this time and the thoughts of him were probably ones she shouldn't be having with her dad sitting across from her.

"I think she has it bad, Marc." Sharon staged whispered to her boyfriend.

Marc pulled his girlfriend closer and wrapped on arm around her shoulders. "I think she has it just as bad for him as I do for you."

By the end of the meal, Carol and Sharon were both blushing.  
\---------------------------------  
Maggie awoke with a start and stared at the clock on the night table beside her head. It read 11:46. Looking around, she instantly noticed that the room was pitch black.

She moved to climb out of the bed, but someone grabbed her wrist and pulled her back in it.

"Where do ya think yer goin'?" Merle whispered into her neck, his voice raspy with sleep.

"I have to head home." She whispered back. "My daddy is probably wondering where I am, if he's not already out looking for me. He must have noticed his shotgun was gone by now."

Merle grumbled and reluctantly let her go. "One of these nights, ya gonna actually stay with me the whole night."

Maggie leaned forward, found his lips in the dark and kissed him. "How about once your ribs are completely healed I'll spend the night with you. Just sleeping, though."

He sighed in disappointment.

"I don't think I'm ready for that yet, Merle. Is that all right?" She bit her lip and waited for him to answer her.

The bed shifted and she could only assume that he was sitting up. Her thoughts were confirmed when he let out a few grunts of pain and then his hand was on his cheek, such a soft move from a man like Merle.

"Maggie, we can take as long as ya want." Merle Dixon never thought he would say that to a woman. Ever. But Maggie Greene was different.  
\------------------------------------------  
"So, how's Merle doing?" Was the first thing out of Carol's mouth the moment she spotted Daryl at her locker the next morning.

"Can I at least kiss ya before we start talkin' about my brother?" He scowled.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine." Then she tilted her face towards his, closed her eyes and waited for his mouth to meet hers.

When the kiss didn't happen, she opened one to look at him. He was staring down at her with a smirk.

"What?" She asked.

"I want ya to say it." He crossed his arms over his chest and the smirk never left his face.

"Say what?" Both of her eyes were open now and she was looking up at him with confusion.

"Say that ya want me to kiss ya."

She rolled her eyes again. "Daryl Dixon, would you please kiss me?"

The smirk turned into a smile and she couldn't help but return it. "Of course!" He cupped her cheeks gently, then, and kissed her. He didn't seem to mind that they were in a public place and people were watching them as they walked by.

Once the kiss ended, she turned to her locker to open it. "So. Merle?"

Daryl sighed in agitation. "And here I was thinkin' that that kiss would be so mind blowin' that ya would forget about my dumbass brother!"

"You have to try harder than that." She winked over her shoulder before shutting her locker door and fully faced him.

"I can try right now." She went to grab her, but she stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"Uh uh, Daryl. First, tell me about Merle. He did just get out of the hospital."

"Don't I know it." Daryl scoffed. "This morning, he started hollerin' for me and I thought he was in pain or somethin'. Nope. The bastard jus' wanted me to rub his feet."

Carol giggled.

"There is no way in hell am I goin' anywhere near his feet."

This time Carol laughed loudly. "I wouldn't go near them either. Smart move." They began walking down the hallway.

"'Sides, I've already done enough for his ass." His hand brushed hers and he wanted to grab it, but he wasn't yet comfortable with handholding in public. He was fine with kissing, but holding hands? Nope.

"Oh really?" She questioned. "What have you done for him? Sponge bath?" She giggled at her own joke.

"Hell, woman, if I don't wanna touch his feet do you really think I wanna touch anywhere else on him?" He shuddered at the thought. "Anyways, yesterday Maggie came over to take care of him and she was goin' to help him get into his bed. One problem, Merle's room ain't people friendly. I have no idea how he can stand the stink. So, I let him sleep in my bed while I slept on our small ass couch."

"You could have come over." She nudged him in the ribs, gently. "My couch is way bigger than yours. It would have been much more comfortable."

Daryl knew that he wouldn't have slept any better on Carol's couch, because he would have thought about her in her bed and wish that he was there with her.  
\-----------------------------------------  
Daryl forgot about the project him and Milton had been working on for the past two weeks until their teacher handed them their results. He didn't even remember handing them in on Friday. He supposed his mind had been preoccupied with other things. Like Carol.

"Look, Daryl." Milton got his attention and slid over their results with a huge smile. "We got an 'A'."

"'Course we did." He looks over the piece of paper before handing it back to Milton. "Ya did most of the work."

"You helped a lot Daryl. Plus, you were the one that had to retrieve that one plant in your brother's room. That took courage."

"Don't remind me." Daryl mumbled. He had to take a shower right after he stepped out of that room. It was not pleasant.

"So, you and Andrea?" Daryl changed the subject and looked over at his friend with a smirk.

Milton blushed. "And you and Carol?" He shot back.

Daryl raised his eyebrows. "It looks like we both got lucky with our women this weekend." Suddenly, he realized what he said and back tracks. "In a totally non-sexual way." He groaned and placed his head in his hands. It was almost like his brain had been replaced by Merle's.  
\----------------------------------------  
"God, if I have to hear my friend Eva talk about Ed one more time, I'm going to stab my eardrums out." Andrea complained to Carol at Carol's locker.

Grabbing her lunch bag, Carol looked over at her friend. "What does she keep saying? I didn't know there was anything good to say about Ed Peletier." She laughed and Andrea joined her.

"She keeps talking about his damn football scholarship and how one day he's going to be in the pros." Andrea suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway and looked at her friend. "He's going to a freaking division two school! The chances of him making it in the pros is like zero percent and besides, I saw him play once at his old school and he wasn't that good."

"So, who is this Eva girl to him? A girlfriend?"

"No!" Andrea threw her hands up in the air and leaned against some nearby lockers. "Probably just someone he smiled at! You would think with that nasty bruise on his nose girls would run away from him, not attach themselves to his legs."

A few students ran past them and Carol and Andrea followed them and saw that there was a group forming down the hallway. Carol got a sick feeling in her gut.

Daryl.  
\--------------------------------------  
The moment Daryl say Ed walking towards him, he knew he wouldn't be able to keep his anger in check. That man had hurt Carol. Had put bruises on her perfect skin and had the gall to try and blackmail her into sleeping with him.

Ed smirked at him as they neared each other, the bruises around his eyes were a bright yellow and gave him a sickly appearance. Daryl only had a moment of satisfaction of putting them there, before Ed opened his fat mouth.

"Well, hello, there Daryl."

The words weren't threatening at all, but the tone of voice was sarcastic and smug. Like he knew something Daryl didn't.

Daryl saw red and all he could think about were those fingerprint bruises on Carol's arms.

"You son of a bitch!" He roared and lunged at the jock and threw him against the lockers. One arm came up to press hard on Ed's neck.

"Get off me you fucking hick!" Ed managed to screech out before Daryl put more pressure on his neck. His next words came out as a squeak and Daryl would have laughed if he wasn't so pissed.

"You fuckin' put your hands on, Carol, ya asshole!" He gripped one of Ed's hands when it swatted at his face. "Ya put bruises on her arms!"

"The bitch deserved it!" Ed roared so loud that the hallway grew quiet afterwards.

Oh, hell no. He did not just say that. Daryl was about to grab Ed's hair and slam his face into the metal lockers. Repeatedly. Someone grabbed his arm and he was about to shrug them off, but then he saw who it was.

Carol.

"Daryl, you promised." She pleaded.

"Listen to your b-" Daryl slammed a hand over Ed's mouth before he could finish his sentence.

"Come on," she tugged at his arm. "Let's go and eat some lunch."

Daryl reluctantly let go of Ed, who almost slid to the ground while he fought for air. They were both lucky that no teacher had come out of their classrooms to see the fight. It wouldn't have been good for the both of them.

"Two weeks." Carol whispered to him as they walked down the hall. The crowd parted to let them through.

How the fuck was he going to go two weeks without bashing fucking Ed Peletier's face in?


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

"You promised, Daryl." Carol repeated as they walked to the cafeteria. Daryl was still breathing heavily beside her and she could tell that he was still angry.

"Fuck, I know." He had the decency to look remorseful when he looked sideways at her. "I jus', God, Carol, he's a fuckin' prick and he should have never laid his hands on you."

"I know." She linked an arm through his and he pulled her closer to his body. "You just have to be careful around him. He's going to try to goad you, but you can't give in, okay? We're lucky no teachers came out to see what was going on."

"Yeah." Daryl sighed.

They walked to the table where Milton and Andrea were already sitting. It was obvious that the both of them had questions for the newly arrived pair, but they kept it to themselves. Daryl took his seat next to Carol, so close their arms brushed.

"So, I hope you beat his ass, Daryl." Andrea asked. So, much for trying to hold back on the curiosity.

"I would have," Daryl said as he unwrapped the sandwich Carol handed him. "But I have my studies to worry about." He nudged Carol gently in the shoulder and gave her a small smile. She returned it.

"I wouldn't mind throwing in a few punches, myself." Andrea continued. "I hate that guy. A lot."

"Why do you hate him so much?" Carol asked. Three pairs of eyes stared at her as if she was crazy. "I mean, of course, I know there's no reason why you should like him, but you only found out what he was doing to us a couple weeks ago."

Andrea looked away from her.

"I'm sorry!" Carol quickly apologized. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want, Forget I even asked."

"No, no, it's okay." Andrea smiled at her half-heartedly. "You guys have become my best friends and you should know."

Milton inched closer to his girlfriend and wrapped an arm around his waist. Being with Andrea was making him braver.

She gave him a thankful smile, then turned back to face Daryl and Carol who were waiting patiently for her to speak.

"Do you guys remember when I moved here sophomore year?"

Carol nodded, but Daryl answered with a blunt. "No."

"Daryl!" Carol cried and elbowed him.

"What?" He protested, shrugging. "I was jus' being honest. I don't remember her moving here." He looked over at Andrea. "Sorry."

"It's okay, Daryl." Andrea reassured him. "It's not like I made some grand entrance and announced to the school of my presence." She took a deep sigh, before continuing. "I was actually trying to keep a low profile. You see, some people knew me here since I before I came here I went to the high school a town over. The same one Ed went too."

If the three of them weren't paying attention before, they definitely were now.

"When I went there, I didn't know anybody because my dad and I had just moved there. Because of my dad's work we moved around a lot, but after him and my mom divorced he decided to settle down in this area and get a new job." She paused and took a breath. "I met Ed my first day there and he was nice."

Daryl choked on his drink and Carol elbowed him again.

"He asked me out after a week and I said yes." Milton tightened his arm around her. "He was so nice and I never had a boyfriend before. We dated for four months before he told me that we should have sex."

Carol's mouth opened. "He told you?" She asked. "He didn't ask if you were ready or anything?"

"What a fuckin' asshole." Daryl mumbled.

Milton remained silent and waited for her to continue.

"Yeah, he just told me and expected me to just say yes and jump in bed with him. So, I told him no and he got mad. Told me any girl would consider herself lucky to be able to sleep with him and here I was wasting such a great opportunity."

"What a pig!" Carol cried.

Daryl agreed.

Milton still remained silent.

"He broke up with me and then went to tell all of his friend's that I fucked him in the bathroom."

Carol gasped.

"It got bad. People made fun of me and I finally told my dad. We moved here during the summer after my freshman year and started my sophomore year here. Things were good, until Ed moved here at the beginning of this year. I don't think he recognized me or he couldn't be bothered acknowledging me. Either way, I'm grateful." Andrea's shoulders slumped in relief when she finally finished her tale.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you, Andrea." Carol reached over and squeezed her friend's hand. "I thought what he was doing to me was horrible."

"No, Carol, what he did to you was bad. No, man should ever leave bruises on you. Ever." Andrea told her and Daryl silently agreed. "You just didn't fall for his charms like I did."

Just then, Milton stood up. The three of them looked at him curiously, but he didn't say anything and instead, his gaze was focused on something across the courtyard. Without a word, he took a step back from the table and his girlfriend, and walked away.

"Where is he going?" Daryl asked and followed Milton as he weaved between tables and dodged other students with lunch trays. He was clearly a man on a mission.  
\-------------------------------------------  
Milton kept his stride determined and long. His anger clearly showed on his face and he kept his fists clenched at his sides. People were giving him odd looks as he brushed by them, but he didn't care.

He was tired of being a coward and letting other people fight his battles for him. Ed bullied him, hurt Carol and Daryl and he almost destroyed Andrea's reputation. His Andrea. There was no way in hell he was going to let that one slide.

It didn't matter to him if he was suspended, or expelled, for this. The bastard deserved it and if the consequences were being kicked out of school, he would gladly take them. The moment he saw the back of Ed's head his steps quickened and his anger grew.

The guy was sitting with his friends, laughing. It was almost like the incident in the hallway, where he almost got his ass beat, hadn't occurred.

"Ed Peletier." He shouted his name. The whole cafeteria seemed to go quiet then and when Ed turned to face him, he was surprised that he didn't feel afraid at all.

Ed smirked when he saw him and stood up. "Well, look who it is. The science freak." His friends chortled.

Milton stood his ground, lifted his chin and didn't say anything.

Ed stepped closer to him, the smirk still in place. "So, are you going to ask me if you can do my homework or something? Or do you like it when I shove you in your locker?"

Just a little closer...

"Are you even going to say anything or are you going to just stand there staring at me?" Ed's smirk faded and he started to look angry. He kept getting closer.

Milton smiled. Perfect.

Without warning, he swung his right fist, connected with Ed's already bruised nose, and smashed it. Blood spurted and he fell to the ground.

"That was for Andrea, you sick asshole." The curse word sounded odd on his tongue, but he didn't care.

The whole cafeteria was gaping at him now, but his focus was still on the guy clutching his bloody nose as he rolled around on the grass. No one moved to help him, even as he screamed in pain.

He turned from Ed and began his walk back to the table where his two friends and girlfriend sat. No one knew of what to make of him, now. He felt empowered and relieved. Ed wasn't going to bother him or Andrea again. He'd make damn sure of it!  
\-----------------------------------------------  
Andrea, Carol and Daryl all watched in shock as Milton punched Ed right in the face and walked away like nothing had happened.

Daryl wanted to stand up and cheer for his friend, but didn't want to draw attention to himself.

Carol looked over at Andrea, a smile on her face. "You know he did that for you, right?"

Andrea nodded absentmindedly and her eyes never left Milton as he walked closer and closer. He was giving her a sheepish smile.

"I hope my show of violence didn't scare you off," he said once he was close enough to be heard without shouting.

She shook her head rapidly. "Of course not!" Then, she took two large steps to him, grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him hard.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

"So, yer tellin' me, my man Milty, punched the shit out of that bastard Ed?" Merle asked from where he was propped up on Daryl's bed. His ribs still were giving him problems if he walked around too much and Maggie was known to stop by at random times during the day, so he stayed in his brother's room.

Daryl was not happy about the situation, the couch wasn't very comfortable, but he couldn't very well kick his older brother out and have Maggie visit him in his room. Daryl actually liked the girl and knew she was perfect for Merle. He didn't want her to get scared off.

"Yep." Daryl answered while he leaned against his doorway, arms crossed over his chest.

"Wish I had seen that."

"I think he's been hangin' around us too much." Daryl smiled at his brother. "I think we've become a bad influence on him."

"Bullshit!" Merle growled. "That boy has become badass cuz of us, baby bro. He should thank us!"  
\------------------------------------------------  
Thursday evening, Carol and Daryl laid sprawled on Carol's bed, books and notebooks opened in front of them.

"I fuckin' hate finals." Daryl growled and flipped several pages in his notebook. One page ripped when he was too rough with it and he was tempted to just throw the thing at the wall.

"I do too." Carol sighed from his right, her face smashed against the math book in front of her. She looked ready to fall asleep. "I hate math so much."

"And who needs English?" Daryl shoved his book off the bed and smirked when he heard the thump as it hit the floor.

He rolled to his back and stared up at her ceiling.

"Daryl!" She whined. "Come on, we have to study. If we don't then we'll fail."

"Don't care." He mumbled. Truth was, he did care but studying was so boring and there were so many other things they could be doing right now. Like kissing. Lots and lots of kissing.

"Daryl." She was suddenly there in front of him, her face inches from his and eyes wide. He tried to ignore the way her chest was pressed against his, but it was hard. Especially when all he wanted to do was bury his hands in her hair and kiss her breathless.

"Fine." He broke down. "I'll study, but if I decide that it's a lost cause then I'm quittin' and no amount of puppy dog eyes will get me to change my mind."

"Puppy dog eyes?" She asked and scooted out of his way when he flipped back to his stomach.

"Yeah, woman. Puppy dog eyes. Yours."

She sat up and crossed her arms. "I don't have puppy dog eyes, Daryl."

He snorted. "Hell yeah, ya do. You was jus' doin' them a few minutes ago. Ya always give them to me when ya want me to do somthin'."

"I do not!" She pouted and he found it to be cute. Carol didn't pout very often.

"Look, we can argue about this all day or we could get this shit done and get somethin' to eat." He flipped his English book back to the page he had been on previously.

Fuckin' Romeo and Juliet.

"Fine." Carol laid back down, so close this time that he could feel her breath on his cheek.

"Are ya lookin' over my shoulder?" He peeked at her from the corner of his eye and sure enough, she was there.

"Yeah." She smiled. "I love Romeo and Juliet!"

"'Course you would." He grumbled. "Maybe ya can take the test for me."

Her head left his shoulder and went back to her own studying. "Only if you can take my math final for me."

"Deal."  
\------------------------------------------  
An hour later, Carol was snoring softly beside him and he had just got done taking a bunch of worthless notes he would probably never even look at. He briefly thought about waking her up, but figured that's something a good boyfriend wouldn't do.

"Hand check." Daryl nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the voice coming from the doorway. He looked over to see Carol's dad looking at him with a smile. "Show me your hands, Daryl."

Daryl lifted his hands, which were still holding the notebook he had been writing on.

"Good." Mr. Spencer took a step into the room and peered at the couple lying closely on the bed. "Should I be concerned that my daughter is drooling on her book?" He asked and rose an eyebrow.

Daryl shrugged and briefly looked over at his sleeping girlfriend. "She conked out about a half hour ago. Ain't got the heart to wake her."

"I take it you two are studying?" He looked over at the array of papers and books spread all over the bed and floor.

"Yeah, tryin' too." Daryl answered. "Finals are next week. Gotta pass them." He was surprised at how easy it was talking to Carol's dad. He thought he would be a nervous wreck, especially now that he was dating the man's daughter.

"Well, why don't you take a break, let her sleep and join me in the kitchen. I was going to make myself a sandwich. Figured you had to be starving too."

"All right." He tried to hide the panic in his voice. It was one thing to talk to the man with Carol present, or semi-present, but to be with him by himself?

Fuck.

He climbed out of the bed as quietly as possible so he wouldn't wake Carol up. He thought, briefly, about making some kind of noise to wake her up. That way she could be with him when they went to the kitchen with her dad, but he decided against it. He had to man up, eventually. This talk was probably a long-time coming.

"Is turkey all right with you?" Marcus asked once Daryl stepped into the kitchen. His back was to the younger man, so he couldn't see his nod.

"That's fine." His voice cracked slightly at the end of the last word. Jesus, he sounded like a damn pussy!

"Here we go." Marc turned to face him with a plate in each hand and then set them at different spots on the table.

Daryl had no choice but to sit in one of those spots. Thankfully, it was right across from the older man and not next to him. He wouldn't be able to see how much his hands were shaking if they were across from each other.

"So, are you happy with my daughter, Daryl?"

Daryl froze the sandwich halfway to his mouth. It looked like they were going to have that talk.

"Um, yes, sir. I am."

Marc waved his hand. "Now, don't call me 'sir, Daryl. We've known each other for a long time. You can call me Marc or Dad, if you want." He winked.

Jesus, this man was trying to kill him.

They sat in silence for a while, each of them finishing of their sandwiches. Daryl kept his eyes on his plate, too afraid too look up. His hands were sweating and he was lucky his sandwich didn't slide out of his grip.

He had lost his appetite a while ago and now was forcing the food in his mouth. When he was finally done, all he wanted to do was leave the room but knew that would probably be rude and Carol would be disappointed in him if she found out. He never wanted her to be disappointed in him.

"So, Daryl." Carol's dad spoke and pushed his empty plate forward. "What are your plans after you graduate?"

He felt his eyes widen in panic. He hadn't thought much about his future, which had been stupid of him. He was a fuckin' senior in high school after all and he was going to graduate in little over a week!

"Hey, relax." Marc smiled. "I'm sorry; I just sprang that on you. I didn't ask you because I'm trying to see if you're good enough for my daughter. I already know that you are. I'm just curious."

Daryl nodded and wiped his sweaty hands on his lap. "Well, durin' the summer I worked part-time at the garage across town. I liked the work. Figured maybe I could go to a trade school or somethin' and become a mechanic."

He nodded in agreement. "That would be a good job for you. Carol told me of the couple times you've had to fix that truck of yours. Consider its age and the fact that it's still running, is amazing." He laughed. "I was never good with stuff like that. You know hands-on kind of stuff. That's why I'm an accountant."

"You're good with numbers?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah, I was a math nerd in high school." He chuckled, as he seemed to recall different memories from when he was in school. "I wasn't very popular in those days. Hard to imagine, right?"

"I ain't too popular, myself. But I got Carol and that's all I need." He couldn't believe he said that out loud and in front of her dad. "O-Oh, and I got Milton, too. He's a good friend."

"Mamet?" He asked. "He's a good kid. Real smart, from what I've heard. I've also heard that he's been hanging around your brother a lot, too."

Daryl nodded.

"So, do you know what my Carol wants to do when she graduates?"

This time Daryl shook his head. "Um, no si-Marc." It was true, they really never talked about the future. He knew that she wanted to go to college, but she didn't know where and what for. What kind of boyfriend was he?

Then fear froze him again. What if Carol never told him because she was planning on going somewhere far away. Somewhere he couldn't follow her. They had just gotten together; they couldn't get separated now!

"Daryl, are you all right?" His voice brought Daryl out of his thoughts, but didn't make him feel any better. He felt like he was on the verge of hyperventilating and that angered him.

He controlled his breathing. "Uh, I'm fine. No, me and Carol haven't talked about after graduation and I feel shi-crappy cuz I never thought to ask."

"It's alright, Daryl." Marc reassured him. "She just told me what she planned on studying in college." His eyes looked sad for a moment. "I haven't been home as much as I should. This was a discussion we should have had years ago, but I was never hear. What kind of dad am I?"

Daryl felt slightly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was going.

"Anyway," he instantly brightened. "She told me that she wanted to be an elementary teacher. She loves kids. Always has. It's great career choice for her and I know when she gets her own classroom, her students will love her."

Daryl agreed silently. Carol was very patient and the few times he had seen her with a child, he could tell that she had enjoyed entertaining them.

Her dad looked down at his watch and stood up. "I'm sorry to just leave like this, but I have some work I need to finish." He gathered their plates. "Oh, one more thing!" He suddenly remembered. "How is your brother?"

Daryl was surprised he was asking after Merle. "He's doin' good. Jus' a little sore and stuff." And being a whiny little bitch half the time!

"It's a shame what your dad did to him." He shook his head. "Anyways, I was wondering; do you know if he'll be free tomorrow night?"

"Uh, I don't know."

"Well, if he is, I would like to take you and him out to dinner. Carol will be coming too, of course."

"I'll have to see if he's doin' anythin' with Maggie."

"Maggie Greene?" He asked. "I like her. She can come with, if he wants. I want to get to know your brother more. I like you, so I'm sure I'll like him." He chuckled. "Well, I really need to go. It was nice talking to you." Then he was gone.

Daryl stared after the man. He wanted to have dinner with two Dixons? This should be interesting.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

The next afternoon, Daryl walked into his house and was about to toss his ratty book bag on the couch, when he noticed that Merle was sitting on it and was watching TV.

"Hey, little brother." He greeted without taking his eyes off the television.

"Hey." Daryl answered back, shoved his bag at the side of the couch and took a seat by his older brother. "I take it you're feelin' better if you're outta bed."

"Yeah, my ribs ain't botherin' me too bad today." He turned the TV. "Maggie came earlier and rewrapped them, so I don't know if she'll be comin' back later tonight."

That reminded Daryl of what he was doing later tonight and the conversation he had with Carol's dad the previous day. "Uh, ya doin' anythin' tonight?"

Merle looked at him slightly confused. "No. Why?"

"Well, do ya wanna go out to dinner?" He was ready for him to refuse or punch him. Or both.

Instead, Merle turned his body to face him fully. "Are you askin' me out on a date, Darylena?"

Daryl winced at the nickname. Merle hadn't called him that in forever and he was glad. His brother must have seen the annoyed look on his face, because he elbowed him in the ribs.

"I was jus' playin' with ya, Daryl. Jesus. But naw, really. Why ya askin'?" He had Merle's full attention now.

"Well, Carol's dad wanted to take me, you and Carol out to dinner." Daryl stood up. "So, if ya wanna go then you should be ready at around 6." He moved to head towards his room, but Merle stopped him.

"Why does that man want to invite me to eat with him? I ain't complain' or anything. Free food is free food. But yer the one who's datin' his daughter."

Daryl shrugged. "I don't know. He just asked me if ya was busy and if you weren't then he wanted to take us out to eat. He said ya can bring Maggie to, if ya want."

Merle hopped off the couch. "Fuck yeah, I want. Maybe she'll even consider it a date!" He was off to the kitchen and the phone faster than Daryl had seen move in a long time.

Daryl shook his head and went straight to his room. Hopefully, he could get a few hours of sleep, in his bed, before it was time to go.  
\-------------------------------------------  
Andrea and Milton sat in the local coffee shop, books and notebooks spread out over two tables. They had just returned to their seats, after ordering their second cups of coffee. It was going to be a long day for the two.

"God, I hate tests." Andrea mumbled into the straw of her ice coffee. "I mean, I know everything that's going to be on them but I just hate having to take them. I stress myself out."

Milton nodded. "I can understand that. Tests can be stressful, especially if your grade depends on how well you do."

Andrea reached over and poked his arm. "I bet you don't ever stress out about finals. You already know you're going to ace every single one!"

He blushed and shoved his glasses back up his nose. "O-of course, I stress out."

"Hmm, then how come you haven't opened any of your books to look at them?" Andrea scooted her chair closer, so she could lean her chin on his shoulder. "This one." She tugged at the book in front of him. "Is mine. You're just here to help me out, aren't you?"

"Uh, maybe." He gave her a sheepish smile.

"You're so cute!" She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and settled more into her chair. "I think you're the best boyfriend I've ever had!"

"Um, thanks." He wasn't sure of how much that was a compliment, since he knew that one of her boyfriends had been Ed.

"I can see your mind working, Milton. I had one other boyfriend, besides Ed." She shuddered at his name. "His name was Shane and he was nice, but after two weeks we broke it off. He was too hung up on another girl."

"Lori." Milton mumbled under his breath. He remembered having a class with the two of them his sophomore year and saw the way Shane looked at her. It didn't seem to matter that Lori was dating his best friend, Rick.

"What did you say?" Andrea leaned closer to him, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Oh, uh, nothing." He gave her a smile in hopes to deter her. It worked because she went right back to her Science book.

"You know, Milton." She said quietly. He stopped flipping idly through one of his notebooks to look at her and found she was looking at him. "I never thanked you for what you did to Ed yesterday."

"The kiss was enough." He teased and hoped to coax a smile from her.

She gave him a half -hearted smile and went back to tracing her finger alongside the lid of her coffee. "I didn't want you to know about him. I thought you would be disgusted if you knew I had dated him."

"I'm not disgusted, Andrea." He reached over and grabbed her hand. "Really." He squeezed her hand gently and gave her a reassuring smile.

She still looked miserable. "Back then I was shallow. I knew I was pretty and I thought that having a boyfriend like Ed made me the luckiest girl in the world. I should have seen how he was, especially after he shoved his tongue down my throat on our first date."

"Andrea..."

"After he told all his friends that we had sex, every girl who had been jealous of me when I was dating him took out their claws." Her shoulders hunched. "They called me names and they even named one of the bathroom stalls after me, convinced that it was the one I had done the nasty with Ed in because it was the grossest one in the whole school."

Milton noticed her eyes were full of tears and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to tell me, if you don't want too."

"No, I want too." She gave him a watery smile. "You're my boyfriend and you deserve to know. Plus, it's nice to get it out. I've never told anyone about it."

"Well, then." He pulled her closer and she leaned into his side. "Keep going, Andrea. I'm listening."  
\------------------------------------------------  
"Hey, Daryl, ya ready?!" Someone banged on his door. "It's almost six!"

Daryl shot up from his bed and looked at the clock. Sure enough, it was almost time to go. He didn't want to get up. He forgot how comfortable his bed was. Maybe he would kick Merle out of it tonight, since he was feeling better and all.

"Yo, Daryl!" Another bang on his door. "Ya don't wanna be late to this dinner do ya? Since it's with your girl's dad and all!"

"I'm comin', I'm comin'!" He yelled back and slowly rolled out of bed. He wouldn't be this tired if he hadn't had to spend the past week on their small ratty couch. It had no cushion to it and one of the damn springs dug into his back.

He quickly stripped the shirt he had on, off and grabbed the only nice one he had. Carol had gone with him to buy it a couple years ago. Well, more like she forced him to go. He smiled at the memory.

"Little brother!" Merle yelled again. "Me and Maggie are gonna leave ya ass, if ya don't hurry up. Then ya can explain to her daddy why ya didn't make it!"

"Jesus Christ, Merle!" He yelled back. "Can ya jus' hold on for one damn minute? Fuck!"

Finally, he was dressed and ready. Stepping out of his room, he took one look at his brother, who was standing at the door with Maggie, and gave him the middle finger before he stalked off to the bathroom to comb his hair and brush his teeth.

"Ya little shit!" Merle yelled after him and Maggie giggled.  
\----------------------------  
Carol tugged at the hem of her green shirt and looked over at her dad in the driver's seat. "Why did you ask Daryl to dinner, again?"

Marc gave his daughter a smile and a wink.

Her eyes widened. "Oh no, you're not going to sit there and ask him a whole bunch of questions like those dads do on TV, are you?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. I would like to know him better."

"But you do know him." She protested. Oh God, Daryl wasn't going to like this. Maybe she could stop him before he ran out of the diner screaming.

"Yeah, I knew him when he was Daryl the Best Friend, not Daryl the Boyfriend."

"He hasn't changed at all. He's still the same Daryl!"

Marc chuckled, thoroughly enjoying teasing his daughter. "He has changed. A month ago, he wasn't sticking his tongue down your throat."

"Dad!" She cried, horrified. A blush quickly covered her face and she looked away from him.

"I'm just teasing you, Carol honey." He took a hand off the steering wheel to pat her knee. "But, seriously, has he stuck his tongue down your throat, yet?"

"Dad!"  
\----------------------------------------------  
The Dixons and Maggie arrived at the diner before Carol and her dad. Daryl turned to give Merle a glare and tell him that he knew they were going to be okay, but his brother was occupied at the moment. Kissing Maggie.

"Ugh!" He grumbled and quickly opened the door to escape. They couldn't wait to do that? They could have waited until he was out of the truck, at least. He should have suspected what was going on in the passenger seat when Maggie's arm was no long pressed against his side. The three of them had to cram into the cab of his truck.

He walked around to the back of his truck and hopped into the bed and waited. If things started to get a little...bouncy up there, he was going to break it up real quick.

Five minutes later, he saw Marc's car pull into the parking lot and spotted Carol in the passenger seat. She looked to be glaring at her dad, but when she spotted him, she smiled and waved.

He waved back, hopped to the pavement and went around to the passenger's side of his truck to knock on the window. Hopefully, Merle would get the hint to stop making out with his girl and get his out of the vehicle.

They gathered around the Spencer car and Marc looked happy to see the three of them. He stuck his hand out to Merle. "Hello, Merle," he said as they shook hands. "I'm glad you were able to make it."

Merle looked confused for a second, like he didn't know what to say. "Uh, thanks for invitin' me...sir?"

"Marc." He corrected, and then he turned to Maggie. "And this must be your girlfriend, Maggie. Very pretty." He smiled and shook her hand, too.

"Thank you." Maggie blushed. "It's nice to meet you, Marc."

Then Marc turned to Daryl, who was standing by Daryl. "Well, I've already met you Daryl and Carol's my daughter, so I have no reason to introduce myself to her." He winked at her, and then clapped his hands together. "Alright. Who's hungry?"  
\----------------------------------------  
They were seated at a round table in the corner. Marc sat between the two couples. Carol was to his right and Merle to his left. The place was nearly empty and Daryl knew there was a reason why the waitress had placed them in the corner.

The reason was more apparent when their waitress almost forgot to get his and Merle's drink orders. Marc had called her back, looking slightly annoyed and she had given both of them a tight smile as she wrote down their orders.

When she got back, tray laden with their drinks Marc asked for his and Merle's drinks.

"They're pretty far from you, Stacy. I wouldn't want you to spill." He grabbed the two glasses from her and set them in front of the Dixon brothers.

Daryl decided right then and there, he was going to marry Carol just so he could have Marc as his father-in-law.  
\------------------------------------------  
The sidewalk quickly came up to meet him as he fell to his face. Maybe it was a little too early to be drunk. Naw, fuck that! It was never too early! Plus, he had those two worthless pieces of shit sons at home and knew he had to be wasted when he dealt with them.

Buck Dixon stood up on wobbly legs and looked at his surroundings. When did he get into a fucking parking lot? Jesus, maybe he should have stayed at the bar. At least, he knew where he was at there!

He stumbled again and found himself crashing into a car. Steadying himself, he found that it was a truck he was leaning heavily on. A shitty one at that.

Well, fuck. He knew this truck! It was Daryl's. The little asshole. Squinting, he looked around and tried to see if he could spot his son. He wanted to see the look on his face when he saw his daddy.

Finally, he looked through the windows to the diner Daryl was parked in front of and froze. There he was and his brother was with him. Good, he could get two birds with one stone. He stumbled forward and stopped, again, when his vision cleared a little bit more. Who were those two girls they were with and that pansy-assed man?

Oh, hell no! What the fuck was going on there? Why were his boys so fuckin' happy? He needed to get in there now and teach them two a lesson.  
\-----------------------------------------------  
"Dessert anyone?" Marc asked, when Stacy cleared away their plates. Maggie and Carol shook their heads no, but Daryl and Merle looked at each other, smiled and nodded. "Good." he laughed. "I thought I was going to be the only fat one here. Order whatever you want!"

Before either brother could get a word out, the doors at the front of the diner burst open and a man, clearly drunk and angry, stumbled through.

Merle and Daryl were on their feet in an instant. They knew exactly who it was. The younger Dixon looked at his older brother.

"What do we do, Merle?"

Merle looked very nervous. "Let's jus' hope that he doesn't make too big of a scene."

Buck spotted them, then, and with an evil smile, he began heading there way. "Well, what the fuck do we have here? Are my boys tryin' to get in with the nice, upstandin' citizens of this fine community?" He stumbled and fell into a chair, toppling over.

Daryl looked over at Merle. There was no way in hell he could take another beating from their dad just after he had gotten one. He knew he could try, but a drunken Buck Dixon was a strong Buck Dixon.

Marc stood up. "Boys, sit down." He commanded. "I got this."

They did as they were told and watched wide-eyed as Marc walked around their table and stood in front of their dad.

"Dad!" Carol cried and was about to run after him, but Daryl stopped her. The last thing he wanted was for Carol to get hurt by his dad.

"I'll be fine, honey." He smiled over his shoulder at his daughter.

"Get the fuck outta my way!" Buck roared.

"Nope." Marc pushed up the sleeves of his shirt. "You have to go through me, first."

"Psh," Pa Dixon snorted. "Ya a twig of a man. I'll snap ya in two before ya can get a hit in. Guaranteed."

"And you're a piece of shit." He crossed his arms. "Now that we've properly met, how about we take this outside and settle this like real men?"

"How about we don't!" And he swung.

Marc quickly ducked away from his fist and watched in satisfaction when Buck nearly toppled to the ground with the force of it. He turned to the waitresses behind the counter, all of them looked scared and one was clearly on the phone with the police.

"Did you all see that? He swung at me first." They all nodded. "Good." Then he reached down, grabbed Buck by the shoulders, dragged him up and kneed him hard in the stomach.

The oldest Dixon man lay sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain, but was clearly not finished. He slowly got to his feet and with a growl swung again. Marc dodged again and returned with a strong right hook of his own.

Buck's nose shattered and he howled in pain as blood spurted. Marc didn't let up and he followed with a left hook to his cheek and another right to his jaw.

Buck went down again and this time he wasn't getting back up. It was perfect timing too, because the police had just pulled in.

Marc walked away from his opponent's unconscious form and sat back down at his seat. Ignoring the wide-eyed stares of the four young people at his table, he picked up his menu. "Stacy!" He called. "I would like to get the chocolate cake."  
\------------------------------------------  
It didn't take long for the police to put Buck in handcuffs, but it did take them awhile to drag him to the police car.

When asked, all the waitresses told them that Marc had acted in self-defense and that Buck had thrown the first punch. That was all the two officers needed and they were ready to haul him in. As they were dragging him out, something slipped out of his pocket. One of the officers bent down to pick it up. It was a baggie with a white substance inside.

"In possession of drugs again, Mr. Dixon?" The other officer said. "Well, this is going to put you away for a long time." Then together the two of them dragged the unconscious man out the door.  
\-------------------------------------------  
Merle wanted to whoop and applaud for the man sitting next to him. Marc Spencer had just kicked so much ass and caused their daddy to go to jail for a long time.

He had just found his new hero...and he obviously loved chocolate cake.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

"So, I heard your boyfriend's daddy got arrested last week." Ed approached Carol at her locker with a smirk, which looked ridiculous with his bandaged nose and bruised face.

"Go away, Ed." She quickly grabbed her stuff out of her locker and moved to walk past him, but he blocked her way.

"Hey, I'm just looking out for you, Carol dear." He sneered. "It's only a matter of time until Daryl follows in his dad's footsteps. His older brother has."

Carol didn't say anything and once again tried to move past him, but Ed was persistent. If Daryl were to walk around that corner and saw them, she wouldn't stop him from beating his ass. She was close to punching him in the face. After all, she was feeling kind of left out. Daryl and Milton both had both been able to make his nose bleed. She wanted a turn.

"What if he starts beating you, Carol? Buck Dixon did not treat the ladies nicely." He opened his arms in a placating manner. "See, I'm just looking out for you."

Carol couldn't ignore that. How dare he talk about Daryl like that? So, she jabbed a finger in his chest and spoke. "Listen up, Ed; Daryl would never put his hands on me. Ever. Unlike you! You're the one who left marks on my arms." She shoved him hard and he nearly careened into the lockers. "I'm not going to tell you this again. Don't you ever talk to me and you better stay the hell away from me, too." Without another glance at the bastard, she walked away.

He wasn't done though. "Whatever, Carol. Don't come crying to me when he puts his hands on you!"

Carol's only response was giving him the middle finger.  
\------------------------------------  
"So, I'm having a party at my house on Saturday," Andrea said around a bite of her sausage pizza. "Of course, you guys are invited."

"Do you need help setting anything up, before?" Carol asked from her seat next to Daryl and across from Andrea.

She shrugged. "My parents aren't going to be home, so they won't be able to help. I can do it by myself, but if you want to come early and help, then you're more than welcome to." She gave her a friend a grateful smile. Then her smile turned mischievous. "Maybe we can even get our men to do the yard work. I'm sure they could cut the grass and stuff. That would be awfully nice of them." Instead of looking at Milton, she turned her gaze on Daryl.

"Hell no." He swallowed a bite of his sandwich and glared at the blonde. "It ain't my party."

"Daryl..." Carol pouted and scooted close enough that the side of her body was pressed against his.

"Nope." He crossed his arms and looked at her. "You're giving me those puppy dog eyes and I ain't fallin' for them, this time!"

"But, Daryl." She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him, her eyes going wider. "Our friend needs help." She even went so far as to stick her bottom lip out.

"Saturday's are my lazin' around the house, days. I don't do shit on them days, 'cept maybe go huntin'." He looked at Andrea. "I could get ya a deer to cook at yer party, but I ain't gonna pull no weeds or cut no grass."

"Um, thanks for the offer." Andrea leaned away from him. "But no, we don't need any deer."

Daryl smirked. "All right, your loss." He grabbed a couple chips from the bag and began munching on them, looking satisfied with himself.

Carol realized that she wasn't going to win this time and unwound her arms from his waist to cross them over her chest. "Fine." She pouted some more.

"Well, I would like to change the subject." Milton spoke for the first time; since the group of friends had sat down to eat. "Let's talk about graduation. Isn't it weird that our high school careers end tomorrow night?"

They all nodded in agreement.

"I know, we have all just become friends this past month, but I would like to keep in touch with all of you when we go to college." Milton swallowed thickly and pushed his glasses up.

Was he really about to cry?

"Hey, Milty, lighten up." Daryl spoke up. "We still have the whole summer. None of us are leavin' now." The subject of graduation was an uncomfortable one and he had almost missed the fact that he had used Merle's nickname for Milton.

He still hadn't talked to Carol about her future plans. His future plans. Theirfuture plans. What if she planned to go somewhere far away? God, he couldn't even think about it.

"I got my acceptance letter to Emory University last week." Andrea said. "They accepted me into their law school." She beamed, clearly proud of herself.

Daryl could definitely see her as a lawyer.

"I have been accepted into Georgia State." Milton added. "I have always wanted to go there, ever since I was small. I will be enrolled into their Biology program. Both universities' are in Atlanta."

That fact alone seemed to make the couple the happiest. That's when he knew that he and Carol really needed to talk. He needed to know that they were going to go places close to each other, so they could see each other every day if they wanted too.

"Carol, do you know where you're going yet?" Andrea asked.

Daryl watched her and waited for her answer. The hands in her lap began to fidget and twist together. "Um, no. I have no idea where I'm going."

He narrowed his eyes. She was lying. Carol wasn't that great at lying and when she did, she would always fidget. Just like she was doing now.

"How about you, Daryl?" Milton asked.

He tore his gaze away from her hands. "Uh, I think there's a trade school about twenty minutes from here. I'm gonna get my Associates in auto mechanics."

"Really?" Carol looked up at him, with a smile. It was genuine. "That would be perfect for you."

"Yeah, Charlie wants me to get at least an Associate's degree before he hires me full time at his garage." He looked at Carol. "So, I have a job already lined up and my school ain't too far away. That's good." He made sure to emphasize the 'school ain't too far away' part.

Carol fidgeted even more and didn't look at him. He got a sinking feeling in his gut.  
\------------------------------------------  
"So, uh, are ya plannin' on doing anythin' later today?" Daryl asked her, somewhat nervously after school. "I was thinkin' that we could go to that coffee place ya like."

She smiled. "I would love too, but my dad is taking me out shopping for a dress for graduation." She nudged him. "Hopefully, he'll be a better shopping partner, than somebody."

He smiled as he pulled up in her driveway. "I guess I'll see ya tomorrow?"

"Yep." She leaned towards him and gave him a quick kiss, then turned to open the door. Daryl stopped her with an arm around her waist.

"Where do ya think yer goin'? I ain't gonna see ya for the rest of the day. I think I deserve more than just a quick peck."

Carol smirked at him over her shoulder, turned to face him and bit her lip. Then without warning, she climbed into his lap and straddled him.

"Is this better, Daryl?" She wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck.

He was still shocked to suddenly have a lapful of Carol, so it took him awhile to nod his agreement. This was much better.

"Thought so." She murmured and closed the distance between the two and gave him a proper goodbye kiss.  
\--------------------------------------------  
The next day went by fast, which was surprising considering that it was their last day of high school ever. They all thought it would drag on, but soon all four of them, Milton, Andrea, Carol and Daryl, found themselves in the parking lot. Carol and Andrea were sobbing into each other's arms, while their boyfriends gave them odd looks.

"I don't understand why you two are cryin'." Daryl grumbled. "Ya should be happy to finally get outta this place. I know I am. Half the fuckin' teachers hated me anyways."

"But Daryl," Carol detached herself from Andrea to look over at him. Her eyes were red and puffy, but he still found her beautiful. "There are so many good memories here!"

"Uh huh." He crossed his arms. "Like what?"

"Well, um." She thought for a moment, and then her face brightened. "Prom! Prom was fun and had good memories. Right, Andrea?" She looked at her friend who nodded through her tears.

"That was pretty fun." Milton supplied. "Seeing Ed get slapped was a thing I will always treasure."

"Hold up. Ed got slapped?" Daryl looked at each on of them in disbelief. "By who?"

Carol looped her arm through his and gave him a sunny smile. "You should have gone." She winked. "Then you would have known."

"Well, if I had known that bastard was gonna get slapped then I would have come." He huffed. "Hell, I would have brought popcorn and everythin'."

Milton smiled. "He got slapped by Jessica. He tried to touch her..." He looked a little uncomfortable and trailed off.

"Ass." Andrea supplied and gave her boyfriend an affectionate smile.

"I would have slapped the jackass, too."

"I would have too." Carol said. "So, I'm going to change the subject. I hate talking about Ed. He's a prick. Do any of you guys want to come over and get ready for tonight? I already know Daryl will be there. How about you two?"

"Hey, who said I was comin'?" He tried to glare at her, but felt the corners of his mouth twitched up.

"Do you want to get ready in your gown with Merle in the house?" Carol looked up at him with a smug expression.

Daryl immediately thought of how Merle would react the moment he stepped out of his room wearing his bright ass red graduation gown and that stupid hat. And really, did they have to call it a graduation gown? It made him sound like he was a fuckin' princess getting ready for the ball.

"Alright." He grumbled. "I'll be there."

"Andrea? Milton?" Carol asked, looking at each of them as she said their names.

"I'm going to Milton's to get ready." Andrea smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"And then her dad is taking us out to eat afterwards." Milton gave Daryl a wide-eyed look that read 'Help me'. Daryl could only smirk at his friend and shrug. He would have to meet Andrea's dad eventually. Daryl was glad that he was past the 'meeting the father' stage. He was even more glad that Carol's dad actually liked him.

"So, we'll just see each other there?" Andrea asked.

Daryl and Carol both nodded.

"Okay, then see you guys soon!" Her and Milton headed for their cars, but Andrea turned around and shouted. "I can't believe we're graduating tonight!"  
\----------------------------------------------  
An hour and half later, Daryl stood in Carol's driveway and scowled. Carol insisted on taking pictures of him in his fucking gown.

"Come on, Daryl. Smile!" She looked up from her camera and gave him a smile of her own. "Act like you're happy you're finally done with high school."

"I am happy." He called back. "I jus' ain't happy that I have to wear this sh-" He almost forgot that Carol's dad was standing behind her. "Crap."

Carol rolled her eyes. "It isn't so bad."

"I look like a fire truck!" He argued. "How come you get to wear plain ol' white and I get an obnoxious color?"

She shrugged. "That's just how it is. Boys wear red and girls were white."

He crossed his arms over his chest and continued scowling. There was no way a smile was going to come from him anytime soon.

"Here," her father reached over her shoulder and grabbed the camera from her. "Maybe if you get in the picture with him, he'll smile." He winked.

"Okay," she smiled and skipped over to her boyfriend to wrap her arms around his waist. She gave him her puppy dog eyes. "Are you going to smile now, Daryl?"

He didn't look at her, knowing the face she was giving him. "Nope."

"Please?"

"And what do I get, if I do?" He turned his blue eyes on her, a smirk on his lips.

"Hmm," she thought a minute, and then lowered her voice a little. "How about I kiss you like I did yesterday in your truck?" He seemed to like that very much.

He smiled. "Deal." Keeping the smile on his face, he pulled her closer with one arm and looked at the camera. Marc counted down from three and soon the flash blinded them.

Carol couldn't wait to get that picture developed.

An hour later, Daryl drove them to the school. Carol's dad has said he would be there soon; he just had to do something before he came.

"So, is Merle coming tonight?" Carol asked casually as they walked into the school and followed the signs until they were where they were supposed too.

He looked at her and snorted. "What do ya think?"

"Um, no?"

"Yep." He read the sign to the classroom he was supposed to wait in. It read 'A-M' and the one next to it read 'N-Z'.

They were going to be separated.

"I wish it went by first names," He mumbled. "Then we would be right next to each other."

"That would be awesome!" She sighed. "At least, you'll have Milton and Andrea in there to keep you company. My classroom is going to have Ed."

Daryl grabbed her arm, gently and gave her an intense look. "You stay away from him, ya hear? I don't want that bastard anywhere near ya."

"Don't worry," she gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll keep my distance."

"Good." He bent down and gave her one last kiss before they went into their separate classrooms.  
\----------------------------------------------  
"Daryl Dixon." The principal spoke into the microphone and looked in his direction with a smile. It was forced, he could already tell.

So, with a sigh he got up from his seat and headed towards the man. Of course, there was no cheers when his name was said, he didn't care though.

Right when he grabbed the hand the principal held outstretched towards him and took the rolled up diploma, he saw out of the corner of his eye three figures stand up and start cheering and applauding.

Daryl turned towards the crowd and was surprised to see, not only Mr. Spencer, standing up and cheering but his brother and Maggie.

"That's my brother!" Merle hooted and pointed at him. "He's a fuckin' high school graduate!" Daryl knew that his older brother had better sit his ass down before he was kicked out.

Walking off the stage, he allowed himself a tiny smile.

There class was small and it wasn't long before Andrea's name was called and then Milton's. He clapped for each of them, but when Carol's name was called he cheered alongside her dad, his brother and his girlfriend.

He pushed his way past other graduates, stood by the stairs of the stage, and waited for Carol to see him. When she did, she flew into his arms.  
\---------------------------------  
They all gathered in the parking lot, Milton and Andrea were off with their parents, but Carol, her dad, Daryl, Merle and Maggie all stood in their little group.

Carol surprised Daryl by lunging at Merle and giving him a huge hug. His older didn't know what to do at first and shot Daryl a wide-eyed stare. He only shrugged.

"Hug me back, Merle." Her voice was muffled in his chest and he hesitantly brought his arms up to wrap around her. "I'm glad you came."

"Who else woulda come for ol' Daryl, here? I'm the only family he's got left." Merle looked over at his brother. "Oh, the police called me today. Our daddy is gettin' five years in the slammer."

Daryl sighed in relief. That was five years of freedom and it gave him enough time to earn enough money to get his ass out of that house.

"I'm glad that man is in jail." Marc spoke up. "That way he can't hurt you boys anymore. No dad should do what he did to you two."

Daryl nodded and Merle spoke. "It's thanks to you. Ya were lucky he weren't able to land a hit on ya. He can pack a mean punch."

Marc laughed. "I boxed in college. I went up against guys bigger than Buck and I kicked their asses."

They all laughed.  
\------------------------------------  
"Can I borrow ya for a little while?" Daryl asked her as they walked to his truck. He figured it was about time they talked about the future.

"You can borrow me for however long you want." She said and then blushed when she realized what she had said.

He smirked.

"What I meant to say, Daryl, is that sure we can hang out for a little bit." She smiled.

"Great. We, uh, we have to talk." He walked to her side of the truck and opened the door for her. That was something he never did, but Carol didn't mind.

Her face paled slightly. "Okay."

"It ain't nothin' bad." He reassured. "It's jus' somethin' we've seemed to have been puttin' off and it's kinda important. 'specially now, since we're datin' and all."

"Okay." Her face still looked slightly pale.

Daryl shut her door, walked to the driver's side, climbed up and started his truck. He drove them a little ways, turning onto a small dirt road and pulled off to the side.

He reached behind him and grabbed the blanket that was in the back seat. Carol raised her eyebrows, but didn't say anything.

Daryl rolled his eyes at her and climbed out. When she didn't budge, he motioned for her to follow him.

She walked behind him and watched as he spread out the blanket and moved to sit down on it. He patted the spot next to him, indicating for her to sit with him as well.

She sat in front of him and crossed her legs Indian style. He looked so serious, staring at her and she felt her palms get clammy.

"Uh, I don't know how to bring this up." He finally spoke.

"Just say it."

"Where do ya plan on goin' to college?" He blurted. His gaze skirted away from hers and he brought his hand to the back of his head. "I mean, I know ya want to be a teacher, but have ya thought of were ya want to go?"

Oh, God. This was something she had been trying to avoid telling him. She knew she would have to tell him eventually and it looked like eventually was now.

"I've been accepted to the University of West Georgia." She finally admitted.

"But ya ain't goin', are ya?" His eyes searched hers. "That's like two and a half hours away. Ya couldn't drive home everyday."

She swallowed and didn't look at him. "I am going, Daryl. My dad went there and I've always wanted to go."

"But-"

"I know. I'm going to have to live on campus."

His face fell. "I'm never gonna see ya."

Carol felt tears prick her eyes. "I'll come home as much as I can, I promise." She reached for his hand, but he pulled it out of her grasp. That stung.

"How long have ya known?" His tone was sharp and angry.

"What do you-"

"At lunch, yesterday, Andrea asked if you knew where ya were goin' and you said no. You was lyin', I could tell."

"Three weeks." She mumbled.

Three weeks? That was about how long they had been together and yet she hadn't told him. Before they were together, they still had been best friends.

"And ya didn't think to tell me once ya found out?" He stood up. "Ya didn't think that goin' to a college over a hundred miles away was important enough to tell me?"

She stood up. "That's it, Daryl. It's only a little over a hundred miles away! It's not like I'm going to the other side of the country or even to the other side of the state."

"Might as well be." He grumbled.

"Hey, why are you yelling at me for not telling you? You've never told me where you were going." She was angry now, too. How dare he yell at her when he had kept his own college choice a secret?

"I was never plannin' on goin' far away and if I was, I would have told ya. I wouldn't have hidden it from ya."

She grew silent.

"Look, I know I ain't good at this relationship stuff, but I'm tryin' and-"

"Would me telling you earlier have made a difference?" She interrupted him, fists clenched. "I would have still gone, even if we had talked about it."

His shoulders slumped in defeat. "I know." He looked up at her, the anger gone but replaced with sadness. "I don't know how I can manage with four years of jus' seein' ya in the summer and on the occasional weekend."

She smiled and took a step towards him. "You'll be fine." She reached up to cup his face, but he stepped back from her and anger was back in his eyes.

"No, I won't be." He turned his back on her and headed back to his truck. He knew he was overreacting. There was no reason why he should be angry. This was where she wanted to go, where she had always wanted to go and as a good boyfriend, he should support her. But he was hurt. Hurt, that she hadn't told him the first chance she could. Had she ever planned to tell him? Or was he going to wake up someday in the fall and find out she had packed all of her stuff and was gone?

He climbed into the driver's seat and rested his arms on the steering wheel while he chewed on his thumbnail. Carol was suddenly there, clutching his blanket and standing in the open door of the passenger's seat. Tears were in her eyes, but they hadn't fallen yet.

He didn't say anything as she climbed in and shut the door, didn't say anything as he drove and he didn't say anything when he dropped her off at her house. There was no kiss goodnight.

There was no type of goodbye at all.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

He felt like an idiot. Why the hell did he treat her that way? Like everything was her fault. What kind of boyfriend was he?

Daryl lay awake in his bed, arms behind his head as he stared at his ceiling. It had been several hours since he had stomped through the door, ignored Merle on the couch and slammed the door to his room. Merle had knocked on his door a few minutes later; to ask what was wrong, but Daryl told him to go away.

He was at war with himself and that was keeping him awake. One part of him knew that he had overreacted when Carol told him she was going away to college and the other part of him knew he had acted like he should have.

How could Carol do this to him?

How could he lash out at her like that?

He growled and rolled to his side, so that he faced the wall. He was glad that tomorrow was a weekday and he didn't have to get up early because he doubted he was going to get any sleep tonight.  
\------------------------------------------  
Carol gave her dad a quick forced smile, before she all but ran to her room to gather clothes for a shower. The last thing she wanted him to see were the tears in her eyes. She didn't want to tell him what was wrong, because she didn't want to talk about.

She knew once she had gotten the acceptance letter, she should have showed Daryl, but she was afraid. Afraid that he would break up with her and they had just finally gotten together. The thought did occur to her that she would have to tell her eventually. She kept putting it off, though. How was she supposed to know that it was something Daryl would ask of her?

Shedding her clothes, she slipped into the shower and let the hot water wash away her tears. Maybe taking a shower right now wasn't the best thing to do. Showers were where she did most of her thinking.

What were her and Daryl now? Were they broken up? Daryl hadn't said they were, but, yet again, Daryl hadn't said much after he walked away from her.

Tears began to fill her eyes again and she hadn't even washed her hair yet.  
\-----------------------------------------  
The next day, Merle woke up early, something he rarely did, grabbed the keys for his bike and drove to Maggie's house. They weren't supposed to get together until later that evening, but he needed to talk to her about something. Something that couldn't wait until later.

He knocked on her door and it only took a few moments for it to open. Beth stared up at him and smiled. "I'll go and get Maggie." She returned seconds later with her older sister at her side.

Maggie smiled, happily surprised to see him, but her smile faded when she saw the troubled look on his face.

"Somethin' is wrong with my baby brother." Those were the first words out of Merle's mouth the moment Maggie stepped outside.

She turned, said goodbye to Beth before she shut the door and then looked up at her boyfriend. "What do you mean?"

"Last night, after his little date thing with Carol, he burst through our door, clearly very pissed off. He didn't even say anythin' to me and went straight to his room." He shifted a little in his spot. "When I asked what was wrong, he just growled and told me to go away. I've never seen him so upset."

"Hmm," Maggie ran a hand through her short hair. "Do you think that he and Carol got into a fight?"

"Naw," Merle immediately shot that idea down. "Him and Carol would never fight, sure they tease one another, but I doubt they'd ever fight." He thought a moment. "Do ya think they would?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know them that well and from what I have seen of them, it's clear that they are in love, but all couples fight." She placed a hand on his cheek and smiled. "We'll even fight, sometimes."

"No!" He gasped. The thought never occurred to him. Fighting was fun, especially when fists were involved, but the thought of raising his voice to Maggie never crossed his mind.

"Merle." She rolled her eyes, the smile still on her lips. "We're both very stubborn people. It's bound to happen sometime, but just remember, I'll still care for you afterwards."

"Good." He slumped in relief.

"Now, back to Daryl." She got right back on track. "Maybe I can talk to Carol and see what's up, and then you can try again with Daryl."

He nodded. "Alright." He started walking towards his bike. "I can drop ya off at Carol's and I'll go home to see if Daryl is up yet. If he is, then we'll have a chat and then me and ya can meet in an hour. Sound good?" He turned to look back at her.

She seemed frozen in place and her gaze was looking at something over his shoulder.

"Maggie?" He asked, concerned. "Are ya alright?"

Green eyes shifted to his and he was startled to see how wide they were. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine. It's just..." She took a step closer to him, her gaze once again looking over his shoulder. "We're going to ride that?" Her hand lifted as she pointed to his bike.

"Uh, yeah. Are ya scared? Ya can drive your car, if ya want."

"N-No!" She quickly said. "I'm just a little nervous. I've never ridden a motorcycle before."

Merle smirked. "Don't worry, baby. You'll be safe with me."  
\---------------------------------  
Carol woke up and could barely open her eyes. They were swollen from a night of crying. Looking over at the clock on her night table, she groaned. She had promised Andrea that she would be over in an hour to help set up for the party, but the only thing she wanted to do right now is go back to sleep.

Well, she did have another hour. She turned to her side, pulled the blankets up to her chin and closed her eyes. Five minutes later, someone was knocking on her door.

With another groan, she threw off her blanket and stalked to the front door. Her dad had a lunch date with Sharon, so he wasn't able to come to the door.

Grabbing the brass doorknob, she turned it and opened the wooden door. She was surprised to see Maggie standing there with a sunny smile on her face. How could she be so happy?

Oh, that was right; her relationship with the older Dixon was still intact.

"Hey, Carol." She greeted her.

"Hey, Maggie." Carol greeted back, hoping that she at least sounded happy to see the older Greene girl.

"Can I come in?" She asked. "I wanted to talk to you, if that was okay?"

"Sure," she smiled and then stepped aside to allow Maggie to step into her house. "Do you want any coffee or anything?"

"Coffee is good." Maggie replied and then followed the younger girl to the kitchen. She took one of the seats by the kitchen table and Carol grabbed two mugs for them.

"I know, it's almost afternoon, but I really need this right now." Carol said as she poured the black liquid into the two cups.

"Did you not sleep well last night?" Maggie asked innocently.

"No." Carol turned to the table, a mug in each hand and set one done in front of Maggie. "Do you want some creamer and sugar?"

Maggie nodded.  
\-------------------------------------  
Maggie studied the younger girl as she reached into the fridge to get the creamer, sugar bowl already in her other hand.

It was blatantly obvious that the girl had been crying the night before; her eyes were a little red and puffy. She had also said she had not slept well. It looked like she had been right. Something had gone on between Daryl and Carol and it was looking like a fight.

"Here." Carol slid over the bottle of creamer and sugar with a smile and took her seat across from Maggie.

"Thank you," she smiled and proceeded to pour in a generous amount of the French vanilla creamer and a couple scoops of sugar.

"Would you like some coffee with that?" Carol teased.

Maggie blushed. "I like my coffee really sweet."

She laughed. "I do, too. Now, pass me the stuff if you're done with it, please. I'm afraid if I don't get some caffeine in my system, I'm going to fall asleep on the table."

Maggie slid the stuff back across the table to Carol, who happily picked them up and dumped them into her own cup. Seconds later, she was taking a large sip, choking on it when she found out it was too hot.

"So," Carol started, after she wiped up the mess she had made. "What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Oh, um." Maggie set her cup down. "Merle came over earlier today and said that there was something wrong with Daryl." She watched as Carol's grip on her mug tightened and her eyes skirted away from hers.

"Yeah?"

"I told him that I would talk to you and see if you knew anything about it." She continued to gauge Carol's reactions to what she was saying.

"It's all my fault!" She suddenly cried and slammed her mug on the table. "I'm going away to college at the end of the summer and I didn't tell him." Tears were pouring down her cheeks.

Maggie immediately stood from her seat and joined Carol's side. Kneeling beside her, she urged her to look at her. "Carol, honey, it's alright." She reassured. "I'm sure he was just shocked and didn't know how else to react."

"He's never gotten that angry at me before." Carol sobbed. "What if he doesn't want to go out with me, anymore?"

Maggie hugged her, then, and let her sob into her shoulder. "I'm sure that's not the case. That boy loves you, you hear me, and right now Merle is going to talk some sense into him."  
\-------------------------------  
"Daryl, get ya ass out here right now!" Merle shouted from the doorway to the Dixon house. He had made sure his truck was still here and his crossbow was in the shed, so that meant he was still in his room. Probably brooding.

"The fuck ya want?" Daryl threw open his door and glared at his brother.

Merle crossed his arms and returned the glare. "We need to talk, little brother. Now."

"I don't want too." He walked out of his room and headed to the kitchen, but Merle intercepted him.

"What happened last night between ya and Carol? Did ya two get into a fight?"

Daryl tried to walk around him, but Merle blocked his path. Seeing that he wasn't going to get into the kitchen anytime soon, he turned and headed back to his room. Once again, Merle stopped him and this time he grabbed his arm before he could move.

He tried to get out of his older brother's grip, but the man was strong and he wasn't going anywhere.

He sighed in defeat. "Yeah, me and Carol had a fight. Ya happy now?" He tugged at his arm again. "Fuckin' let go of me."

"No." If anything his grip tightened. "Why the hell do ya two get into a fight? I thought ya were deeply in love or some shit like that."

"It's stupid." Daryl mumbled. The last few hours of lying in his bed had cemented that fact. He had overreacted. Carol wanted to go to that college and he shouldn't stop her. The reason why she hadn't said anything was because she was afraid of how he would react. He understood that now.

"Damn right, it's stupid." Merle shook him. "Ya love that girl and there ain't no reason for ya to be yellin' at her. Now, I want ya to go over there and apologize."

Finally, he was free.

"I will." He rubbed at the sore spot on his arm. "I jus' gotta take a shower."

"Good." Merle smiled. "Clean yerself up and then go to her on yer hands and knees and beg for forgiveness."

He rolled his eyes and then headed towards the bathroom.

"It was nice talkin' to ya, little brother."  
\------------------------------------------  
Carol wiped the sweat from her brow as her and Andrea set up the final table outside. The sun was high above them and it was making the day hot. She was glad that Andrea had a swimming pool and told her that they could go for a quick swim before guests started arriving.

Milton had come by earlier and had cut the grass, but had to leave early because his parents wanted to take him out to lunch.

After her talk with Maggie, Carol was feeling much better and when she saw Daryl later, she would apologize and hopefully things would go back to normal. If he showed up, that is.

The thought almost brought her back to tears, but instead she grabbed the extra swimsuit Andrea offered her and together both of them cannon balled into the nice, cool water.

Daryl toweled dried his hair and stood in the middle of his room in just his boxers. It was too early to head over to Andrea's. He was serious, when he said he wasn't going to help her set up. It wasn't his party.

He grabbed a clean pair of pants and shirt, slipped them on and decided that he would take a little nap before he left for the party. Hopefully, Carol would be there and willing to listen to him apologize.

He didn't know what he would do if he lost her.  
\------------------------------------------  
The party was in full swing and almost everyone from their class was there. Shane, Rick and Lori had all came together and Carol couldn't help but notice the looks Shane was giving Lori. There would be nothing but trouble if he didn't stop.

Even Jessica and her friends were there. She had smiled at Carol when she walked by her and they had chatted for a few minutes. There was only two people not there.

Ed and Daryl.

Ed was clearly not invited and Daryl...well, she didn't know if he would show up. Especially, since he knew she was going to be there.

"Still no Daryl?" Andrea walked up to her, a frown on her face and a cup of sweet tea in her hand. Carol hadn't told her friend what had gone on between her and Daryl the night before, but she suspected Andrea had her suspicions.

She hadn't been the most talkative person today.

"I'm sure he'll be here soon." Andrea reassured her and gave her a side hug. "But, if you want, I can have Milton go pick him up or something."

Carol shook her head. "No, it's okay. Thank you, though."

It was dark now; the party was still going full force and still no Daryl. She stood close to Andrea and listened to the conversation she was having with Lori, but didn't contribute more than the occasional nod or smile.

"Andrea, I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back." She gave her friend a smile and started to head towards the house.

Before she could open the sliding glass door, someone grabbed her elbow, gently. She knew that touch. She turned and found herself looking into a pair of bright blue eyes. She knew those eyes, too.

"Hi." She said.

"Hey." He replied with a sheepish grin. "Can we, uh, can we talk?"

She nodded.

He grabbed her hand. "Let's go for a walk."

"Okay, just let me tell Andrea where I'm going, so she doesn't worry."

"She knows."

"What?" She turned and faced the direction her friend was in and sure enough, Andrea was looking at the two with a smile on her face and a thumbs up.

Daryl led her by the hand, through the house and didn't let go even when as they walked on the sidewalk. It was true that they held hands before, but not as they walked. Carol liked it.

"Carol." He said and stopped to face her. "I wanna say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at ya like that. Ya deserve to go to that college and I had no right to tell ya that ya couldn't go."

She smiled. "It's alright, Daryl. I shouldn't have kept it a secret from you, though. I was just so scared that you would hate me or something."

He cupped her cheeks. "I could never hate you." He kissed her, and then pulled back. "Ya have to promise me one thing, though."

"What?" She asked.

"Ya have to come back as often as ya can, alright?"

"Deal!" She crushed her lips to his. It had only been a day since they had last kissed, but she had missed it. Missed him.  
\-------------------------------------  
Andrea was having a party and didn't invite him? That fuckin' slut. Everyone knew that he was the life of any party. Maybe he could crash it.

The beer bottle in his hand nearly crashed to the ground as he tripped stepping up into the sidewalk. There was at least five empty ones littering the floor of his car and it was a wonder he hadn't ran off the road.

He was drunk.

Where was Andrea's house again? He could have sworn he had parked right in front of it. Looking around, he nearly stumbled again. Maybe drinking all those beers before he came over here hadn't been a good idea.

Why was there two people making out underneath that street light? On further, inspection, his vision cleared up enough to tell him that it was Carol and Daryl.

With a smirk, he began to walk/stumble towards the pair. They didn't know what they were about to get into. It was payback time for all those punches to his nose.

"Well, look at what we have here." The voice was heavily slurred but Daryl knew exactly who it was.

Detaching his lips from Carol's, he gently pushed her behind him and glared down at Ed Peletier. He was clearly drunk and looking for trouble.

Looking back at Carol, he suddenly remembered. It was after graduation. Smirking, he brought his hands up and cracked his knuckles. He wasn't going to throw the first punch, but if Ed wanted a fight, then he was sure as hell getting a fight.

"Was Andrea's party that boring you two had to come out here?" He smirked, and then stumbled. Again. "Or were all the beds taken?" He laughed.

Daryl didn't find anything about that funny and his fists clenched even more at his sides. Ed seemed to notice.

"Why don't you hit me, Dixon? It's clear you want too." He tapped his cheek. "How about right here? Come on, I know you want too." He taunted.

Carol's small hand wrapped around his wrist. "Daryl, don't." She whispered. "Remember what happened to your dad?"

Self-defense.

The only reason Marc hadn't gone to jail or charged a fine was because he was acting in self-defense. If he hit Ed right now and things got to the point where the police were called, Daryl could go to jail.

"Come on, Daryl." Ed continued to taunt, as he got closer. Daryl could smell the beer on his breath. "What are you, a pussy or something?"

No one called him a pussy. Ever.

Daryl was about to raise his fists and smash the fucker's face in, when the flash of red and blue lights stopped him. Quickly, Carol grabbed his arm and pulled in back to his side.

The police car pulled up alongside them, a policewoman stepped out and headed towards the three of them.

"What seems to be the problem here, boys?" She looked between the two of them.

"Nothin'." Daryl murmured and didn't make eye contact.

Ed turned to the officer, the bottle no longer in his hand. "This, this." He stopped to think, the alcohol taking a toll on his thought processes. "This hick is trying to mug me. He needs to get locked up, officer."

The policewoman's eyebrows lifted up after he was done speaking, then she turned to Daryl. "Is this true, sir?"

"No, ma'am." He looked up at her this time.

Carol stepped from behind him. "It's true. Ed came up to us and kept trying to get Daryl to hit him."

The policewoman's gaze shifted again, this time Ed. "Is this true?"

"No!" Ed argued, getting loud.

"I'm going to need you to come with me, Ed." The officer placed her hands on her hips and glared at him.

"What? Why?"

"Are you Ed Peletier?" She asked.

"Yes."

"The same Ed Peletier who graduated from high school yesterday, at the age of eighteen."

He looked confused when he answered. "Yeah, that's me. What does that have to do with anything?"

The policewoman took out a pair of handcuffs. "Mr. Peletier, you are under arrest for underage drinking and I'm pretty sure that's your car down the street. So, I'm taking you in for driving under the influence"

"You can't prove that!" Just then, the bottle he was hiding behind his back crashed to the sidewalk and shattered. The smell of alcohol hit their noses. Ed's face paled. "You can't arrest me! Do you know who my dad is?"

"Um, I'm assuming he's Ed Peletier Sr., but what does that have to do with anything?" She walked behind him, grabbed his arms,handcuffed his wrists and then told him his rights.

Carol and Daryl watched with wide eyes as Ed was forced into the police car. The policewoman turned back to them and smiled.

"You two have a good night, you hear? And no alcohol or you'll end up like him!" Then she climbed into the driver's seat of the car and drove off.

Daryl was the first to make any noise once the police car drove away and that was too laugh. Carol joined him soon after.

"We should head back to the party and let every one know what happened." She grabbed his hand this time and tugged him towards Andrea's house.

Daryl smirked. "Sounds like a plan."  
\--------------------------------------  
"So, Eva called me the other day," Andrea said nonchalantly after she took a sip from her hazelnut latte.

"Who the fuck is Eva?" Daryl asked from his spot next to Carol. A cup of regular coffee sat in front of him.

The four of them had decided to get together at their local coffee shop a week after Andrea's party and Ed's arrest.

"Wasn't she the girl who kept talking to you about Ed making it to the NFL or something?" Carol offered, after she gently elbowed Daryl in the ribs. Her own white mocha caramel latte was quickly disappearing because Daryl kept sneaking sips of it.

"Yep." Andrea popped the 'p' and stirred her coffee, a small smirk on her face.

"What about her?" Milton asked the cup of hot tea in his hand. Milton wasn't that big of a fan of coffee.

"Well, she called me and she was in tears and stuff." She took a sip of her coffee, savored the flavor and swallowed. Three pairs of eyes were looking at her. One of those pairs looked annoyed.

"Well?" Carol asked.

"Oh, she just told me that Ed lost his football scholarship and now is going into the military." She shrugged. "Nothing important, really." The smirk was still plastered on her face.

"No way!" Carol cried and couldn't help but let a tiny smile come out. If Ed was going into the military, he wouldn't be around to bother them anymore.

"Yeah. It seems that the University of North Georgia didn't appreciate the fact that he was arrested for underage drinking and driving, so they pulled his scholarship. Ed Senior is making him go into the military as a way to punish him."

"I'm glad that bastard ain't gonna be around here much longer." Daryl grabbed Carol's drink, took another long sip, and ignored her annoyed cries.

"It was his own fault, really." Milton said. "He was the one who was walking around with a beer bottle in his hand."

Daryl's brow furrowed. "How did that policewomen know where to go? I don't think she was patrollin'. Andrea's neighborhood is safe."

Andrea and Milton looked at each other and smiled.

"We called them." Andrea admitted with a smile. "When you and Carol left my party, I grabbed Milton and we watched you guys from the window."

"Perverts." Daryl grumbled.

Andrea ignored him. "We wanted to make sure you guys were working things out and then Milton spotted Ed parking his car down the street and we watched as he stumbled towards you guys. We could tell he was drunk, so we called the police."

"I'm glad you guys did." Carol said. "He kept trying to get Daryl to punch him and he was about to when she showed up."

"The bastard deserved it." Daryl growled.

"I know." She patted his arm and looked up at him. "But you knew what he was trying to do, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. I know."

The table went silent after that, each of them taking sips of their drinks and staring out of the window.

"So," Andrea suddenly spoke up. It was clear she didn't like the silence. "What are we going to do this summer before we call go our separate ways or, I should say, before you two go your separate ways from Milton and I?"

Daryl shrugged.

"There isn't much to do here." Carol spoke. "I guess we could just all hang out where ever. I don't know."

"The beach?" Andrea offered.

"Sure!" Carol answered with the smile.

"No." Daryl crossed his arms. "I don't do swimming."

Andrea smirked. "I bet you can't even swim, Dixon, that's why you don't want to go."

"I can fuckin' swim!" He shot back. "I jus' don't want to swim in front of other people and stuff. Plus, there's probably gonna be little kids peeing in the water and shit."

"Daryl..." Carol gave him the 'look'. Puppy dog eyes and everything, but she didn't stop there. Instead, she leaned up to his ear and whispered. "I'll wear a bikini if you go." She sat back in her seat and waited for him to speak.

"Fine," he said after a moment. "I'll got to the damn beach, but it doesn't mean I'm gonna enjoy myself."

Carol clapped her hands and smiled. "Great!" This summer was going to be fun, more fun than any other summer she had. She had great friends to hang out with and she had Daryl.

Everything was better with Daryl at her side and she was going to make the most of this summer with him, even if she had to drag him to every event they went too.

**~Three Months Later~**

Summer was coming to a close. Carol sat in her room and looked at all the boxes scattered all over her room. Each of them filled with all of her stuff. Tomorrow was the day she was leaving to go to college.

She didn't want to go, didn't want to leave Daryl, but at the same time she was excited. This was a new chapter of her life and she was going to make the most of it.

This time tomorrow, she would be two and a half hours away from her dad, her friends and...Daryl.

The thought of leaving him behind had tears forming in her eyes. She was going to miss him the most when she left. The summer hadn't been nearly enough time with him, even though they had seen each other almost every day.

"Hey." Suddenly he was there, in her door. He always seemed to know when she needed him.

She hopped off her bed, ran into his arms and buried her face into his neck. That was when she let the tears flow.

"Come with me, Daryl. Please." Her voice was muffled, but she knew he had heard every words she had said.

"Ya know I can't." His words tickled her ear.

Of course, he couldn't come with and she sobbed harder. Tomorrow was his first day at the trade school. They had taken a tour of it a week ago and he had really liked the place and the teachers he had been able to meet. She couldn't pull him from a place he was comfortable with and make him go somewhere he probably wouldn't like.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love ya, too, and I'll be here every time ya come back. I promise."

"I know." She smiled, even though there were still tears slipping down her cheeks.

Daryl was going to there every time she came back home.

He would always be there. He would greet her with a large smile, his arms wide open and ready for her to jump into them.


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here is the last chapter of Snake. :( It's set 2 years in the future. This is the chapter that earns the M rating and this was the first time writing smut, so forgive the quality of it.
> 
> I also want to thank everyone who has read this and there is a sequel. I'll started posting it soon! :)

** Chapter 44 **

Daryl looked down at the piece of paper in his hand. His name was written in cursive along the straight line in the middle. His Associate's degree in auto mechanics.

"Congratulations, little brother." Merle came up behind him and slapped him on the back. "Now, ya can support both our asses when ya get that job at the garage."

Daryl elbowed him in the ribs. "What? Ya thinkin' about quittin' that construction job? I don't think Maggie will be too happy about that."

"Naw, I was jus' messin' with ya." He wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulder and led him to the small group of people that had come out for his graduation. "'Sides, she'd kick my ass if I did."

Daryl wasn't paying attention to him anymore. His eyes had finally settled on the one person he wanted to see the most.

Carol.

It had been a month since he had last seen her, finals and studying had kept her away, and God, he fucking missed her.

She spotted a couple seconds after him and broke away from the conversation she was having with Milton and ran to him. He only had a couple seconds to prepare himself, before she crashed into him.

She littered kisses on his cheeks and chin. "God, I missed you so much." She said in between kisses.

"I missed ya, too." He cupped her cheek and kissed her for the first time in a month.

Carol liked college life. She liked it a lot. The schoolwork wasn't as hard as she thought it would be, her education courses were fun and interactive, and her roommate was a tidy person.

She had made friends while there. Only a few and they were in her same field of study, so they would usually study together at the library or at the campus coffee shop. They were nice and made her laugh, but she missed her friends back home.

She missed Daryl the most, though.

It wasn't enough to just her see a couple weekends a month. They didn't nearly have enough time together and she was always reluctant to head back to campus.

The first year apart from him had been the hardest. There were days where all she wanted to do was pack her bags, drive home, leap into his arms, and never leave. Surprisingly, he had been the one to encourage her to keep going.

She loved him and tonight, she would show him just how much.  
\----------------------------------------  
Dinner had been at Carol's house in the form of a cookout. Maggie and Merle were there, of course. Milton and Andrea were both done with school, so they were home. Marc was there, too, since it was his house and so was Sharon, who now sported a diamond engagement ring on her left hand. They were going to get married next summer. Carol was happy. She could have never asked for a more perfect woman for her dad.

They all lounged around in chairs in her backyard and stuffed themselves with hamburgers and potato salad.

Daryl hadn't wanted a party, but Carol insisted he had one.

"If you don't have this party, Daryl." She had said over the phone during their nightly chats. "I won't be coming home for another week."

"Fine." He had mumbled. "I'll have a fuckin' party."

So, Maggie, Marc and Sharon all got together and planned the little party. Maggie had become part of the Spencer family just like Merle and Daryl had. Sharon had taken a liking to the older Greene girl and when Carol would come home from a weekend, and could be pulled away from Daryl, the three of them would go shopping and spend the day together.

In the two years, Carol had known Sharon; she had become more of a mother to her than Carol's real mother had in ten years.

At least Sharon called her and asked how college was going. Cassandra couldn't be bothered, it seemed.

The sun was going down, the porch light was on, everyone was having fun and Carol decided it was time to go in and get the dessert she had made. Pecan pie. It was Daryl's favorite and she had made it just for him.

After she had set the pie on a rack to cool, she nearly jumped out her skin when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist. It only took her a second to realize who it was.

"This is why I didn't want a fuckin' party." He kissed her shoulder. "I can't kiss you whenever I want."

She turned around in his hold and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You know, you can kiss me whenever you want."

"Nuh uh, I ain't gonna kiss ya in front of your daddy."

"Why not?" She smiled. "We've been together for two years; he knows that we kiss all the time."

"As long as he knows that's all we do." He tilted his head down and brushed his lips against hers.

"It is all we do." She laughed. It was true. Even though they had been together two years, their relationship hadn't gone pass second base. Both of them had been fine with it, but she could tell that Daryl got a tad bit frustrated during their more heated make-out sessions.

She had offered to help him with his 'problem' once, willing to take their relationship a bit farther, but he had blushed and stuttered out a 'no'.

Suddenly Daryl was lifting her onto the counter and they were face to face. Memories of their first make-out session came to mind and she could tell Daryl was thinking about the same thing. He smirked and kissed her.

As his tongue traced the seam of her lips, she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer. He moaned into her mouth and moved one of his hands from her hip to the small of her back.

"Uh hmm." Someone coughed behind them and Daryl jumped back from her, his face beet red.

Milton stood in the doorway, a smirk on his face. "Your dad sent me in here to see why it was taking you so long to get the dessert." His gaze jumped between the two. "Should I tell him to give you two a few more minutes?"

"No!" Daryl growled.

Carol hopped off the counter, walked over to the now cooled-off pie and picked it up. "Okay, we're coming."

Andrea appeared next to her boyfriend, a frown on her face. "Carol, your dad just told me that you have to leave to go back to campus, tonight. Do you have too? You just got here."

Daryl rounded on her. "You're leavin' tonight. How come ya didn't tell me?"

She winced. "Irene called me before your graduation and asked if I could take her shift at the bookstore tomorrow morning."

"And ya said yes?" He looked hurt. "I've hardly spent any time with ya and now, you're gonna be leavin'?"

Carol already knew this was already going to be a conversation they needed to have in private. She handed Andrea the pie. "Can you take this outside for me and tell my dad we'll be out in a few minutes?"

Andrea nodded, grabbed the pie in both hands, nudged her boyfriend and the two of them disappeared down the hall.

"Look, I'm sorry, Daryl. She had no one else to call." She tried to placate him.

"Why is the bookstore open on a fuckin' Sunday, anyway?" He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"It's the end of the year, students want to trade in their books and sometimes the weekend is the only time they can do it."

He looked defeated. "Carol, I ain't seen ya in a month."

"I know." She placed a hand on his cheek and urged him to look at her. "I'm sorry, but in a week we'll have the whole summer together."

He looked away from her. "A week's too far away. I wanted to see ya tomorrow, too." Then he turned and walked out of the kitchen.

Carol watched him leave and nearly called him back to tell him the truth, but she didn't. She told herself it would be worth it.  
\----------------------------------------  
An hour later, the guests started leaving. Merle left and took Maggie home. Andrea and Milton helped put stuff away and soon they left. Sharon was staying the night with Marc, so that left Daryl.

She almost thought he had left without saying goodbye to her, but she found him waiting outside of his truck.

Without a word, he pulled her close and crushed his lips to her. "I'm gonna fuckin' miss ya." He left her lips and moved to her neck.

She gasped when he nipped at her shoulder. "You'll see me in a week."

"That's too fuckin' long."

She pulled his head up and gave him a long kiss. "That week will go by fast. You'll be seeing me again in no time at all."  
\---------------------------------------------  
Carol sat in her car and bit her lip. The Dixon house was dark and she could only guess that Daryl had gone straight to bed. Merle obviously hadn't returned home from Maggie's and she sighed in relief.

Climbing out of the car, she shut her door as quietly as possible, knowing Daryl had a great sense of hearing. The last thing she needed was for him to meet her outside. She needed him in his room and on his bed, in case she lost her nerve.

She quietly opened their front door and made her way to his room. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down and opened the door slowly.

"The hell ya want, Merle?" Daryl looked over at the doorway and froze. "What are ya doin' here?"

Before she answered, she closed the door and locked it. "I lied about going back to campus tonight. I wanted to surprise you."

Daryl sat up and sat at the edge of the bed. "Surprise me with what?"

"This." She crossed her arms in front of her and shed the dress she was wearing and then unclasped her bra. She stood before him in just her panties.

"Carol." He started, his eyes briefly going to her chest and then back to her eyes. "Are ya-" He swallowed. "Are ya sure?"

Nodding, she walked closer to him and reached for his shirt and pulled it over his head. "We've been together for two years Daryl. I think we're ready."

He nodded and jumped when her hands went to the waistband of his pajama pants and began to pull them down. When he was left with only his boxers, she began to reach for them too. He grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"We're movin' too fast." He said.

"But, Daryl-"

"I haven't even started kissin' ya, yet." He tugged and soon, she was in his lap and his mouth was on hers.

It didn't take long, with her bare chest pressed against his and her hands in his hair, for her to start feeling him through his boxers.

Suddenly she found herself on her back and Daryl loomed above her. One hand was on her breast and he pressed a leg between hers and soon his hips were between her thighs.

He nipped at her earlobe. "I want ya so bad, Carol."

She knew. She could feel it.

"I want you, too." She arched as lips began to travel lower. Then his hands were on her panties and were slowly pulling them down her legs.

"You're so beautiful." He whispered, as she lay bare before him.

She blushed. "You ain't too bad, yourself." Sitting up, she went for his boxers and soon he was just as naked as she was.

She wanted to touch him. He stopped her hand before it could make contact.

"This already ain't gonna last long, but if ya do that, it'll be over before it begins."

"Okay," she said. Swallowing her nervousness and laid back down.

Daryl bit his lip and looked unsure for a second before he crawled back over her and supported his weight on his forearms.

"Are ya sure?" He searched her eyes.

"Yeah." She wrapped a leg around his waist and pulled him closer. He brushed her and she arched her back at the jolt of pleasure that went through her body.

"Fuck." He suddenly growled.

"What?" She asked with wide eyes.

"I ain't gotta condom." He began to pull away from her. "I don't want our first time to get ya pregnant."

"No, it's okay." She scrambled to pull him closer. "I'm on the pill."

"What?" He asked confused. "Did ya-"

"Yeah, I already knew that I would be doing this with you tonight." She blushed and looked away from him. "Plus, I didn't want you to wear one our first time. I wanted to feel all of you."

He blinked, his pupils dilated even more. "I fuckin' love ya, woman. Ya know that right?"

She smiled. "I love you, too."

He settled his body back over hers and looked her straight in the eyes. "Ya know, this is gonna hurt for ya, right?"

She nodded. "I know." She whispered.

"If ya want me to stop, ya just gotta say so and I will."

She nodded again.

He captured her lips with his, reached between their bodies and with a little fumbling he was finally inside her.

Tears sprang to her eyes at the pain, but she quickly blinked them back when he stilled.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered into her ear.

"It's okay." She whispered back. "Just give me a minute."

He nodded and kissed across her collarbone, then back up to her shoulder and neck. He could wait forever, as long as he got to stay this close to her.

After a few minutes, Carol rolled her hips experimentally. Daryl groaned at the feeling and had to shut to his eyes to gather his thoughts. He didn't want this to end too early.

"Daryl, I'm ready."

He opened his eyes. "Ya sure?"

She nodded.

Then, he started to move.  
\---------------------------------------------  
It hadn't lasted long, but that was all right with her. Tonight, was probably the best night she ever had and as she laid curled into his side, watching him sleep, she knew that there would be many more nights like this.

"Are ya watchin' me sleep?" His voice grumbled beside her and his blue eyes looked up at her.

"No." She smiled.

"Good." His eyes shut.

"Good night, Daryl." She leaned over and kissed the scar on his chest.

The arm around her waist tightened at her action. "Night, Carol."

She laid her head back down on the pillow, cuddled closer to his side and quickly drifted to sleep.

They belonged together and there was nothing that could tear them apart.


End file.
